Satanball
by bakkasama
Summary: An ancient evil threatens earth. As the Z warrior fail to stop it, it is up to the one and only Mr. Satan to save the universe. Being sent to the past by accident, Hercule finds himself with the time to prepare for the upcoming fight. The catch? He knows close to nothing of the life of the Z fighters before he met them.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT nor any of its characters and I earn no money from writing fanfiction about them. I don't own the riddle at the beginning either. That should cover it.

A/N: This is a Dragon Ball Z fanfiction, so GT doesn't apply. I know many people like it and it does have some interesting ideas but it simply doesn't do it for this story's time line.

Chapter 1: From the lookout

_This thing all things devours:_

_Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;_

_Gnaws iron, bites steel;_

_Grinds hard stones to meal;_

_Slays king, ruins town,_

_And beats high mountain down._

"_It has begun…probably._" He thought while hearing the battle echoes. They were still far away, but with so much power in display it made little difference.

Red sky, clouds of dust, and an interminable stream of lighting. Typical weather of the end of the world. Not so normally seen in Kami's lookout as the palace was over the clouds, but it was kind of expected with a powerful, evil monster trying to kill them all. The lighting storm continued, growing in intensity over time while blinding flashes of light coming from far below joined them. They came one after another, with less than a second in between, similar to the ones that could be seen in nightclubs back in the day. Shame there weren't any left.

"_Damned those monsters. I swear once this is over I am going to one. Thank you Dende, the dragon balls; no matter how fucked up the world is we can return it back to normal_."

Unfortunately, that was only wishful thinking, as it was impossible to return things to what used to be. The group was always fighting, and most of them had died more than once. The dragon balls wouldn't resurrect people twice, and with Evil Buu killing everyone in the world before, only the younger earthlings would come back to live this time. It would take generations to recover from this ordeal. Not to mention that for most of their friends and family it was going to be the final goodbye.

The palace started to shake, making him lose his balance. He looked around and wasn't surprised to see that the same thing happened to everyone there. Why would he? If he, the world champion, had lost his balance, how could they hope to keep it? He would have been more surprised if someone managed to stay on foot.

The tremors continued, showing that the battle was either growing closer or growing in intensity; probably both. He tried to regain balance when the palace really shock, sending everyone flying several meters and making him fall from the platform. Lucky for him, it was the side with a stair to climb to the palace. He made a grab for it, catching it just in time to avoid falling to certain death, be it from the landing or for passing through the battle below. He climbed it like a desperate man and breathed in relief when he reached the top. Looking around he saw that everyone had congregated around the god of earth and he walked their way. As he came closer he began listening to their conversation.

"What's going on?" Asked Bulma, the oldest woman in the group. She seemed worried, not much of a surprise, considering her son was the one fighting for their lives.

"Trunks and Mister Buu are engaged in combat with Behemot. Abbadon is just watching the fight for now." Dende explained while watching from the border of the platform "They just destroyed Korin Tower; the tremor was from the shockwave. The fight seems pretty even but our guys have the advantage since it's a two on one." He nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with the young Namekian. They may have been monsters, but they had monsters on their side too. It was just a matter of time. "It will be a different matter once Abbadon joins the fray though."

"Nonsense, Trunks and Buu will handle it just fine. The fight will be over before those two come out from the Room of spirit and time. Besides even if the enemy does manage to get passed Buu you still have me to defend this place." He said beaming with confidence he didn't have. Dende just stared at him. Chichi was the one who answered him:

"ARE YOU INSANE OR JUST STUPID? IF MY GOHAN COULDN'T KILL THAT THING WHAT MAKES YOU THINK _YOU_ WOULD BE ABLE TO? YOU WOULDN'T EVEN MAKE A DECENT MEATSHIELD!"

"WHAT?" He shouted enraged: "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! I AM NOT THE WORLD'S CHAMP FOR NOTHING, YOU KNOW!"

"YOU ARE THE WORLD'S CHAMP BECAUSE MY FAMILY'S KIND HEARTS YOU OLD FOOL!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD? WE ARE THE SAME AGE!"

"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!" Bulma settled the argument. He and Chichi just stared at her before turning their attention to Dende again. The Namekian shouted in victory.

"Alright! They killed Behemot with a combined attack. Only Abbadon is left"

"That's not much of a relief considering he left us in this state." A voice said from the edge of the group. Hercule looked to his right to confirm it belonged to Muten Roshi.

"He was the one to kill most of us and with the last dragon ball in his power he even took our backup plan. Ah, if only Goku was still alive." He said and glanced down, an action soon to be followed by the rest of the group. Hercule clenched his fists and stared at them, knowing they were all thinking of the people they had lost. Bulma and Bra, who were worried for their son and brother fighting the monster, Chichi was grieving the death of not only her husband but both of her sons. Old Roshi who had outlived all his disciples and Oolong and Puar missed their friends. Even he had lost his only daughter and son in law. They were crying inside, knowing full well they wouldn't see them again since they had all died twice and the dragon balls couldn't bring them back. For a moment it stroke Hercule that he and Buu had never died before, even with all the adventures they had taken part since even before he had joined the group. Not that it mattered. The humans and animals in the platform, the Namekian, Mr. Popo, the two warrior below and the two in the room of spirit and time, they were Earth's last stand, the only survivors. If they died there would be no one to wish them back.

The world shacked again, taking him out of his musings. Hercule stared at the Earth's guardian who was visibly paler than before.

"Buu is dead. Trunks is out of commission and Abbadon is looking for him so that he can finish the job." The guardian stated. Bulma gasped at this and Hercule felt his heart sank and his eyes moisten as tears started to fall for his missing friend. It was too cruel, losing one friend after another under the psychotic rage of a madman. He could only hope for this nightmare to soon be over so they could resurrect the fat warrior. He felt blood coming out of his palms due to how hard his fists were clenched. He felt useless and he didn't like it one bit.

"I should hurry then." A voice came from behind the group. They turned around to find that Uub had already left the chamber. His saiyan armor had several cracks to it and the young man had a lot of new scars, probably due to his training partner

"Just give me a new armor and I will be off." He said as he started to strip from the one he was wearing. Bulma quickly tossed a capsule and even before the smoke could fully clear she was already rummaging through the box that appeared looking for a new set and urging the man to go save her son.

"Where is Pan?" Chichi asked Uub while he was putting the armor on. He decided to forgo changing the rest of the set of clothes as he was in a hurry.

"She is staying there a while longer, she was working on something good to use against Abbadon. Well, I am going" He said and took off. Before he could leave the lookout someone shouted at him.

"WAIT!" Uub turned around and saw that it was no other than Hercule Satan himself who had stopped the warrior. The old champion wore a really serious expression on his face and Uub immediately knew that whatever the man was going to say he was going to mean it.

"UUB! IF YOU DID SOMETHING TO MY GRANDDAUGHTER I SWEAR TO GOD THAT…" The man was interrupted by a very irate Bulma.

"THIS IS NOT THE TIME! UUB, GO SAVE MY SON OR YOU WONT BE ABLE TO DO _SOMETHING_ TO PAN ANYMORE, YOU HEAR ME?"

The young man blushed at the implication but none the less nodded and flew at full speed to where he sensed the monster was. Meanwhile, the champion was now caressing a very recent bump in his head.

"Honestly, can't a man worry about who his granddaughter hangs out with?"

"NOT THE TIME!" Chichi and Bulma shouted at the same time. Hercule decided that it was time for a tactical retreat as he backed a few steps.

"Uub reached Abbadon. His power is higher than last time I saw it but I fear it won't be enough. They are talking, I think Uub is trying to buy time for Pan to join the battle." The Namekian said loud enough for everyone to hear. It was necessary as he was the only one in the group that could sense energy and had Kami's power to watch what happened on earth. A few minutes passed in which everyone waited anxiously until he spoke again:

"They are fighting now but Uub is receiving most of the damage. Had he waited for Pan to finish they might had a chance but alone he is simply outclassed."

"Had he waited for Pan my brother would be dead now" Bra growled threateningly to the god. The green alien glanced at her before turning his attention to the fight below.

"If they are defeated your brother would die anyway, but you are right, Uub is not the kind of guy who would let someone die if he could do something about it. Neither I am!" He added quickly as he noticed the glare the girl was now sending him.

"I hope so because if AAARGH!" The girl screamed in pain as she fell to the floor along with everyone else. Hercule ignored the screams as he tried to withstand the pain _he _was feeling. It felt like he was freezing and burning at the same time, his ears were buzzing and he lost his eyesight, seeing flashes of all colors instead of what was happening in the real world. He couldn't breathe. He was too busy screaming for that.

The pain lasted five seconds, and it took him a minute to move his body again, too shocked by the sudden attack. To him, it lasted an eternity. Looking around he could see the shadows of his companions who apparently had felt the same.

"What…was…that…" He asked between breathes, seemingly to no one as he tried to regain his bearings. It was the second time he felt that way during the last week. Dende answered him.

"It was Behemot. He just resurrected."

The champ didn't really register what was said and just blinked stupidly. The rest of the group pretty much did the same, not really knowing what to say. Bra asked the question they were all thinking of.

"What do you mean he resurrected? People don't resurrect just like that."

Dende stood up, finally recovered enough to do so and readied himself to explain. "Behemot is Abbadon's first shadow servant. He cannot really die until his master does."

Satan swallowed hard at the idea of an enemy that could not be killed. "Sounds hard." was his bright comment but Dende shook his head.

"I don't think you get it. Whenever he resurrects not only is he fully healed but he comes back with his energy replenished. Imagine you spend all your energy trying to kill one enemy for it to come back as if nothing happened a few minutes later when you are too tired to fight. He is even stronger than Cell, almost on par with Buu." This made the champ pale as he started to wonder if they really had a fighting chance. He wasn't an idiot, he knew that anyone who could face Buu on battle was a real threat to the world but he was just now starting to see how hopeless the situation was.

"How is this possible?" Roshi asked making everyone turn to face him. "How is it possible for someone to have such ability? How can there be someone so strong?"

"Right! And how come all those people seem to have something to do on earth? There is only so much bad luck a planet can have!" Bulma chipped in. Nobody answered their questions, their mood somber from the new information.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Meanwhile, in king Enma's quarters, all hell was breaking loose. Onis running across the room with mountains of paperwork bigger than them, an infinite line of souls that had long ago lost any order and was now coping the already practically non-existant space and constant quakes that collapsed pieces of the ceiling every passing second. In the middle of it all, a humongous red devil stood in an equally big desk. Large drops of sweat fell from his redder than usual face as he used most of his godly powers to put some order into chaos. Still, even when judging a thousand souls per second the unstoppable wave of souls filled the underworld court faster than it was relieved. Besides him was his personal aid, a blue squirt of a devil stupid enough to follow every order and nothing else. However, even his lobotomized brain understood that the situation was dire as his expression, unlike usual, showed some panic.

"Please sir, I beg you, we have to evacuate the room!" He shouted desperately while pulling from the red god's pants. Enma dismissed him with a kick.

"Shut up you fool! A billion souls are coming in every minute and I am the only one to judge them and save them from the limbo! "

"But sir!" The oni protested while standing "You have to leave the room! That thing is coming after you, if you die then Abaddon will…"

"I told you to shut up you coward!" Screamed the king while shivering in anger " We have the strongest warrior in the universe fighting Angra Manyu and the Grand Kai is trying to unlock the power of the two strongest pure blooded saiyan as we speak! It's only a matter of time before that idiot is finished! If you have time to worry about me you have time to reinforce the gates!"

"But sir…" Started the oni again…

"GO REINFORCE THE GATES YOU DIMWIT!" Interrupted the demon lord with a roar. As he saw his aid leave his side, a new wave of souls arrive in the court room and a dozen devils using magic to reinforce the gates to the limbo –where the fight of the millennia was taking place-, a big frown took place on his face.

"Then again, if they don't destroy Abaddon soon, that fight over there is going to be pointless." he mumbled before returning to work. When he saw the soul of another Z warrior appear in the room, he could only curse.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"Trunks is dead." Dende told the group around him. Bulma's face lost all color before she threw an ungodly scream and fell crying to the floor. Soon her daughter joined in her sorrow and Chichi hugged them both to console them. Satan could see the solemn faces of everyone around him as they mourned the fallen warrior. It was Roshi who asked the unspoken question

"What happened?"

"Behemot happened. That beast has not mercy for the fallen." Said the deity while grinding his teeth.

"Uub is done for. The only reason he is still alive is because Abbadon was toying with him. Behemot in the other hand is too animal-like to understand such thinking. He won't give him the same treatment. It's a two on one now." said in a pained voice. Everyone else in the lookout shared the same feelings of impotence at the unfairness of the situation. As the Namekian had said, it was a two on one now.

"Not for long." A quiet, yet inexplicably audible whisper reached their ears. Hercule turned around just in time to see the explosion of gold fill the place. Even in the distance he could clearly see the teal in the eyes of the seventeen years old girl. Granddaughter of Earth's hero and daughter of the universe's strongest, there stood Son Pan, humanity's golden hope.

The part saiyan immediately took action, disappearing from their sight before anyone could stop her, to join the battle below.

"Pan, wait!" Satan shouted a second too late. He started to curse loudly when he failed to do so. "Damn it! She doesn't know about Abbadon's body yet." Everyone's eyes widened.

"Dende quick, you have to tell her!" Chichi shouted "You are god, you have to do something!"

"I can't! She is too filled with rage she is not listening to me!"

"Oh no!" Puar's high pitched voice could be heard "At this rate she will die just like Gohan did!"

"NO SHE WONT!" Chichi roared to the cat. "My granddaughter is stronger than that, she wont fall for that kind of trick."

"Then again Gohan was pretty strong too…"Ooolong muttered before being silenced by a glare from both of the girl grandparents.

"Abbadon is fighting Pan!" Dende's voice silenced everyone else. "She fell for it and is barely fighting on reflexes alone. Uub is trying to help her but Behemot is keeping him busy."

"God damn it all!" Satan was breathing hard, he was close to a panic attack. Not only was Pan their only hope but also his only granddaughter and the only family he had left. This simply could not be happening!

"WHAT IS GOING ON DOWN THERE!" King kai's voice filled their heads "I HAVE A PLAN BUT I NEED PAN TO LISTEN TO ME FOR IT!"

"King Kai! Please get Videl to speak with Pan, she only listens to her mother when she is this angry!" Hercule screamed to the sky.

"Thanks, wait a second while I get her!" The god answered to them. The group waited anxiously for a few seconds until a new voice joined the mental conversation.

"PAN!" Videl's voice thundered in their heads making everyone wince in pain "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! THAT IS ABBADON YOU ARE FACING SO YOU BETTER START FIGHTING BACK OR YOU ARE ANSWERING TO ME WHEN YOU DIE, YOU HEAR ME?"

Not a second later the world shook on its place as the constant earthquakes that plagued it grew in intensity. Dende released a shout of victory.

"Alright! Pan transformed into SS3! She is fighting back!" Everyone in the group cheered, their morale a little higher. Satan let himself fall to the floor in relief, a relieved smile now in his face. "Those are my girls alright." He muttered happily

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Two energy balls clashed with the strength of two dying stars as Son Gohan escaped the explosion by a hair width. Though with no serious injuries, he had received more of a beating than he was used to. He had a swollen eye, cuts in his arms and legs from all the attacks he had barely deflected and had bruises all over his body; his gi was torn apart and his mouth was full of blood. Though none of those wounds really affected his fighting prowess, the constant barrage of attacks had forced him to use a large amount of energy to make up for the damage; In other words, the warrior's immortal soul was growing tired. His opponent on the other hand showed no tiredness in his face, as those mundane feelings were below him. Still, the mystic warrior knew that the fight was taking a toll on the shadow; his ki was lower than at beginning of the fight, even though his power was being replenished by a constant flow of energy.

"_Make him use his energy faster than he can get it back, the only way I can do it is fighting all out._" He thought while shooting another barrage of energy balls. Angra Manyu tried to evade them, but when he realized the Z warrior could change their trajectory he opted to blow them all away with an energy blast. He followed up with a frontal attack using his elbow, which Gohan parried with his own and countered with a knee kick. Even when the attack seemed to somewhat affect the shadow it didn't slow the following barrage of attacks which, for Gohan's dismay, seemed sharper than before.

"_Well of course his attacks are sharper; the guy didn't even exist a year ago, he can only learn to fight better._" He thought as he made some space between them. The fight had started even, but his opponent had gradually become stronger during the battle, and now he was receiving more damage than dealing it during the exchanges; he had no idea when Angra Manyu would finally go for the kill, but he knew that if he didn't change his strategy, he was going to lose. However as he tried to win some distance, an extremely hard kick connected his chest, sending him flying against the doors of existence.

"_Of course. The only physical object in the whole limbo and I had to crash against it. The place doesn't even have a floor._" The half Saiyan mumbled as he stood up. The power of that single kick had been more he had ever imagined and was now breathing hard. Angra Manyu looked down at him.

"Surrender to your fate, prideful warrior. Your sins are too heavy for you to handle." Said Abaddon's shadow. Gohan glared the monster with anger and disgust.

Angra Manyu was a monster with humanoid form, with red skin and horns like a demon. Black fire occupied the place his eyes should have been, disfiguring what otherwise would have been a beautiful yet stern face, that would have combined with his priest like clothes. His head was shaved, leaving a better sight of infinite number of signs and glyphs that flowed endlessly through his skin, as would the water of a river. His voice was without any emotion, who allowed no contradiction to whatever he said, was what pissed Gohan the most.

"I will never surrender! Your master will kill everyone if I do, how dare you speak to me about sins? It is you that should surrender!" Gohan screamed against him, but also to himself. He had to reassure himself that he could win this, everyone depended on him. And for that reason he would deny his opponent, and destroy him once and for all.

However, Angra Manyu smirked.

"I can speak about sins because I know them all. I represent them, and they represent me. They are in my core. And that's why I know all of your sins, Son Gohan. You have only believed in strength all your life. Whether with your strength or the strength of those you love you have survived lot of hardships. No matter how strong the opponent you have always won in the end. That, Son Gohan, has led you to believe that you could always win."

"If you are saying I have grown conceited, I have learned that long ago." Replied the saiyan with cold voice. "I know that my father wouldn't have died or that I could have saved more lives. I have accepted my past already, so if that's the sin you refer, it doesn't burden me at all."

"No, Son Gohan. Everyone needs to believe in something. Your strength has become your truth, your core. That confidence that you would always win, no, that will that has pushed you to always win is the reason you and your friends have always won. Yet now that will is wavering. You are facing a responsibility too heavy for you and you doubt whether you can carry it out. You also doubt that even if you carry it out it will it be of any use. You are doubting yourself, and by doing so you are betraying everything that makes you yourself. And betraying that confidence, by betraying your only truth, you made the worst sin you could make. That truth you denied, that responsibility you can't bear, is what's weighing you down" finished the apparition. Gohan just glared at him with fury. However, what Angra Manyu said next took him by surprise.

"However, you don't have to bear that responsibility. Just let me bear it for you, Son Gohan."

"What?" Gohan ground his teeth as he spit the question. Angra Manyu smiled.

"I am Angra Manyu. I am the fire that cleans the sinners, the vessel that takes all their sins and returns them to the cycle of death and rebirth. I represent all sins. And to do so, I have the strength to bear them. I will bear your sins, Son Gohan. Only by letting it go is that you can take that weight away from your shoulders. Surrender and let go of the world of the living you don't belong to anymore. Forgo that body that opposes my lord even in dead and won't let you reincarnate. Only that way you can rest and return to the cycle of death and rebirth."

"I can't!" He screamed. An explosion of power followed up the scream. "There's no way I will do that! I will not leave the fight while I can still save them!"

"You are already dead, Son Gohan. The dead shouldn't interfere with the living. That's only an act of arrogance."

"You may call it arrogance! But I won't rest while evil is destroying my planet."

"Evil you call it? Yes… You could call Behemoth, the king of beasts, evil. A failed creation, I call it. A creature that enjoys killing and kills for the pleasure it gives him. The second shadow is no better. He is intelligent, and cunning, but also ambitious. He may be purging planets under my master's orders, but he does it for his own benefit. Its true that if you look at his acts, Abaddon is the most evil of them all, but I would not call him evil. Abbadon is everything and nothing, an entity that is but should not be. This universe needs his existence but does not allow it, so he will shape it until it does. Is he evil? No, Son Gohan, Abaddon is not evil. His only sin was to exist. I can't punish such acts."

"Nonsense!" Roared the super warrior, no longer able to contain his anger. "He is a monster! A murderer! Nothing you say is going to change that!"

"Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it doesn't make sense. Farewell, Son Gohan. I will start my cleansing of the other world with you." The monster stated as his ki raised like a flare. Knowing it was probably going to be his last stand the mystic warrior also increased his energy levels, showing the true worth of his legend. Like raging dragons both auras clashed, creating lighting from the friction. The sheer amount of power they released was enough to destroy a whole planet from the pressure, yet both warriors kept increasing their energy to levels that defied reality, that no human should be able to understand yet that were being focused in a single attack. Only a madman would had dared to get between such titans as they prepared their final attacks

"You talk too much." A third voice stated as it shoot an energy beam. Angra Manyu had to dispel his technique as he blocked the attack to his side with his forearm, yet the surprise attack caught him before he could put up all his defenses. The cleanser was thrown back hundreds of meters, yet the mysterious attacker was already were he was going to land. The short blond warrior launched a merciless kick to the falling enemy, yet before he could connect the dark priest had twisted himself upside down and blocked the side kick with a descending one of his own. The shock wave caused by the colliding limbs extended itself into the nothingness of the limbo, pushing back the two fighters. Angra manyu readied himself for a second attack, when a loud voice from the doors of existence made an exclamation that would have made his bones shiver, had he any emotion.

"…HAME…" The shadow turned his head to see the mystic warrior doing the pose of the overly famous attack, while focusing an insanely large amount of energy in his hands. In that moment before doom Angra Manyu realized that eating such attack head on could seriously endanger his existence. The existence flew up, trying to get out of the range of the technique, only to find an unexpected resistance. Looking down he found holding his leg the one who had kicked him. He was a short saiyan with blond hair, long enough to reach his waist, with evil eyes and an even eviler smirk; he was another who refused to give up his body after death. The super saiyan screamed with hate as he threw down the priest where the first saiyan was. Just when he was finishing his technique.

"…HA!" Gohan released the power of the super Kame Hame Ha against the approaching form. In a desperate attempt, their common enemy put his hands between him and the energy ball, shooting a technique of his own.

"_Divine Wrath_!" screamed while throwing his own attack. The two immeasurable amounts of power collided in another contest of strength. Though the heat of the attacks was strong enough to rip pieces of Gohan's skin even at that distance, the mystic warrior could only grin as his attack was slowly but surely winning against his.

"Final Flash!" The shouting voice behind Angra Manyu assured Gohan of their victory. Sandwiched between two super powerful attacks, the remaining strength of the divine wrath dispersed as its master disappeared between both attacks. What remained after the cloud of heat and energy dispersed was a heavily burned Angra Manyu, with his robes no longer intact.

"Regret your ways, Son Gohan. Forgiveness will be paid with blood." Angra manyu turned then to look at the other warrior, who was also looking at him with disgust. "I salute you, prince Vegeta. I assume you don't look for atonement for yours sins?"

The prince saiyan grinned madly.

"Oh, I look for atonement all right. Killing you will be my first good deed."

As if it was a previously arranged signal both Saiyans barged against the enemy with perfect timing. Gohan reached him a tenth of a second earlier, launching a skull breaking straight followed by an ascending right kick with a speed that put lighting to shame. Angra manyu however responded by punching his arm before it could connect and stopping the kick with his own leg. When he was about to counterattack Vegeta appeared behind him and punched down with both of his fists clenched together. The black priest thrust his hand back and shot an energy ball to the face of the saiyan prince, stopping his charge. He bent down to dodge a kick from Gohan and flew up, leaving both opponents in range for an attack. The cleanser thrust his arms down and released a barrage of energy attacks. The energy rain kept the warriors at bay for a moment, until an unknown source of energy appeared above Angra Manyu apparently from nowhere. A second super saiyan, this one wearing an orange gi, hit him down with a chop that actually launched him in the direction of his previous attacks. The dark priest tried to regain his balance, but before he managed to do so the other two saiyan appeared besides him, mercilessly kicking Angra Manyu at the same time. What followed was an apparently endless storm of energy balls, that the dark priest tried to evade or block with his own. In the middle of the explosions, high pitches from the energy attacks cutting the space at supersonic speeds and screams from both fighting parties, the voice of Son Goku, the last fighter to appear, resounded through absolute chaos that was the limbo at that time.

"KAME…" The priest's eyes shot wide open remembering what that same technique had done to him the last time. With a guttural roar that came from deep within him Abaddon's third shadow flew up –or at least what was up to him since the limbo didn't have things like directions- while concentrating on getting enough ki for a sure kill attack. Only worrying about that the priest withstood the pain and heat of Gohan's and Vegeta's energy attack in order to escape from the rain of hell he was in. His effort was rewarded as after some painful seconds he escaped from the vortex, giving him clear sight of the three saiyajin.

"…HAME…" The priest placed both of his hands in front of himself, readying the attack that he thought could end the fight. The other two Z warriors flew into different directions, but their speed wasn't enough to get away. His final attack was going to end this.

"_SIX BILLION_…" The shadow started to yell the name of his strongest attack, a technique that would cleanse the three insects in front of him in a single go. However, in the last moment one of the insects disappeared from sight, being replaced by a dreadful presence behind him. He had not seen him move, such speed should not have been possible, yet his target was behind him. The tenth of a second of confusion that took him to realize that it was possible, that Son Goku knew the instant transmission technique was all Goku needed to end his technique.

"…HA!" an explosion of energy hit Angra Manyu on the back head on. The dark priest screamed in pain as he tried to withstand the attack, as his flesh burned and his bones cracked. In the middle of his hell, two others voices rose to infinity with a message of doom.

"FINAL FLASH!"

"MASENKOHA!"

Both attacks joined the Kame Hame ha in its mission of destruction, increasing the burden on the shadow. The priest cursed them as the unstoppable wave of energy pushed him deeper and deeper into the nothingness of the limbo. The three saiyan scrutinized the space, only to find the priest still flying and watching them from afar.

"The scum doesn't know when to give up, does he?" Vegeta growled as he closed on to Goku. Gohan followed after him.

"Dad! Vegeta! What are you doing here? Did the ritual work…?" Gohan's voice died down as he slowly realized the true. The saiyajin were transformed into super saiyan level 3, the strongest form they could achieve by normal means. However, the ritual they had undergone should have turned them in mystic warriors like him, a form without the super saiyan golden halo. He had worries, but his father managed to blow them away.

"Well, it kind of worked, but no. We are far stronger than we were, but that's it. Both of us should still be enough to take this guy, though."

"All right. I will then engage him directly. You two look for a chance to finish him up."

"No!" Gohan winced at the yell of his father. "Gohan, King kai has a plan to stop Abbadon, but he needs you in Grand kai's planet right now."

"I will go as soon as we end this"

"Listen to Kakarot, brat. Go to that planet and let the real saiyans handle this fight."

"Gohan, Vegeta is right. This guy is battered from the previous fight so you go to King Kai's, I am sure we will manage without you"

"No dad, this fight is too important for that. We will finish this quickly and then I will go"

"Son, listen to me! This fight useless if Abbadon survives and we only have one chance to stop him! So go and defeat him and leave this one to your father, you hear me?"

"But dad…"

"Kakarot, here it comes!" Vegeta warned them. Father and son turned to see another energy attack from Angra manyu, one that covered everything in sight, and closed to them and what was behind them: the gates of existence.

"Gohan, that attack is too big to either evade or parry it; we need to attack the same point and make a hole through it!" Instructed Goku as he readied an attack. His son was one step ahead of him and was gathering the energy. The saiyan prince didn't complain.

"Your sins can't be forgiven." A deep voice resounded behind their backs. They heard the sound of flesh breaking apart as well as a desperate gasp for air and they saw the horror. The dark priest had gone ahead of his own attack and appeared behind Gohan, stabbing him in the back. A blood red arm was now coming from Gohan's shoulder, the mystic warrior frozen by pain. The other two saiyans didn't wait to retaliate and instantly closed the distance. They attacked from both sides, each throwing a punch that would make the gods quiver in fear. The shadow pulled his arm out from the half saiyan body and blocked the attacks with his arms, but they were followed by others even more furious. He flew to the side to dodge them, then spun in the air and threw a backhand punch to Goku and a roundhouse kick to Vegeta; Goku took it head on, while Vegeta managed to put his hands in front of his stomach before receiving the attack. As both warriors were pushed back Angra Manyu followed through with a thrust against Goku, his fingers extended and going for the kill like a spear handled by an ancient hero. Ten centimeters away from victory a sharp kick to the neck pushed Angra Manyu away from his prey, and that was followed by a liver punch from the saiyan prince, who had recovered from the attack. The priest winced in pain and headbutted Vegeta, dodging a straight that aimed to where his jaw was an instant before. Prince Vegeta flew away but then a white light engulfed them all as Angra Manyu's energy attack finally hit them all. The brutal attack pushed them against the doors of existence, their bodies crying blood as they endured the attack. When the energy attack finally dissipated, the cloud of energy revealed three saiyans in a sorry state. Vegeta coughed some blood and looked up, watching the enemy with rage.

"Freaking psychopath. He took his own attack only so he could take us by surprise. It won't work him again." The saiyan spit his digust towards the madman tactics. The shadow looked down to him, a fair distance away from the doors. He had managed to receive less damage than them from the attack, be it for a better position or that he was prepared to receive it, but his current state was still deplorable. His clothing ripped to pieces, blood covering him like sweat, open slashes on his flesh that reached the bone, the inclemency of the three to one fight was showing everywhere. Regardless, no pain nor tiredness reflected on his face. While Vegeta was glaring at the enemy, Goku was holding his son on his arms.

"Gohan, are you okay?" He asked in worry. He had shielded his son with his body, and as a result his back was completely burnt. That, however, was nothing compared to Gohan's wound, a red hole that was open on his shoulder. A hole that hadn't stopped him from saving his father's afterlife with that kick to the shadow's neck. The half-blood forced himself to stand.

"No, but I managed to move at the last moment, otherwise I would have died again. I don't think I can use my right arm though."

"Gohan, you have to go to King Kai's. We will handle the situation here."

"No! If we lose here…"

"Shut up, brat." Vegeta flew towards them without losing sight of Angra Manyu in any moment. "You won't be of any use to us in that state. Go to get yourself patched up then save our planet."

"Vegeta…"

"You heard him son. We have faith in you. Have faith in us too." Said Goku with a soft voice. Those words really affected Gohan, who finally stood up and glared at Angra Manyu. His following words were directed to him.

"I will go to amend my sin."

"It may be too late by then" The dark priest immediately charged forward after sayings those words. Vegeta intercepted him, engaging in close combat fight. Goku turned to his son.

"Gohan, go now! I will cover your back."

"Yes dad!" The grown man straightened up and looked around, trying to find something. After a moment of silence he turned again to his father with an awkward smile and stretching his face with a finger.

"Um, dad… How do I get there?"

"GO!" Letting a shout of frustration Goku finally lost his patience, grabbed his son's clothes and pressed his fingers to his forehead. Before he could realize what happened the half breed was unceremoniously dropped in King Enma's desk, and his father already gone. The mystic warrior stood up and laughed nervously when the giant arched an eyebrow at him.

"King Kai has a plan to stop Abbadon but he needs me there" He explained

"THEN GO!" The god roared, a vein popping in his forehead and making Gohan wince from the pain. The half saiyan didn't make him beg and immediately took off.

"I'm going, I'm going! Geez, why everyone is screaming to me today?" He mumbled to himself as he disappeared from sight.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Back in Kami's Lookout everyone's expressions were grim again. Even though she had transformed into Super Saiyan 3 Pan didn't seem able to seriously injure Abbadon and Uub was too busy with Behemoth to join her. Ever since Videl's words to Pan they had heard nothing from the otherworld so they had no idea if King Kai's plan was already in motion or not. The silence was unnerving but no one dared to speak, be it they distract the guardian from watching the battle below. Hercule clasped his hands in prayer, asking whatever god was out there to protect his granddaughter in the battle for earth.

"Alright, we are all set here." Hercule jumped in surprise when King Kai spoke directly to their heads. A huge pillar of yellow light appeared a hundred meters north of the lookout, the wind that followed it nearly knocking them off. Satan realized it was a Ki attack, impossibly big as if to pierce heaven itself. Dende quickly confirmed his suspicions as he called them from his position on the border of the platform.

"Pan Killed Behemoth! Uub has the dragon ball and is coming this way!" No sooner had he said it when the Indian boy appeared above them, sure enough the four stars ball on his hand. He swiftly landed and as fast as he could he raised his hands and called for the dragon. A pillar of light came from the seven balls and Satan felt the floor shake and heard an explosion of debris near him. He turned around to discover the quarter saiyan coming out from the new crater on the floor in the platform. As the sky turned dark and the giant dragon appeared, Satan looked up, cowering in fear and knowing where his eyes would lay, on who his eyes would lay. Floating above them, was Abbadon.

Satan was the first to see him. His white boots. His turquoise clothes. His cape. The sword on his left hand. The remains of his helmet, long ago broken. And knowing he couldn't postpone it anymore, that it would be real when he did so, he saw his face.

Videl's face.

"YOU HAVE TWO WISHES."

The monster in his daughter's form, dressing in a tattered Sayaman 2 outfit, arched an eyebrow at sight of the dragon. Faster than the worlds champion could follow, Uub charged against the monster. It was in vain. The next thing he saw was the body of the young warrior pierced in the stomach by the monster's sword, its tip coming from his back, were his spine was. Abbadon smiled in satisfaction and placed his feet on the boy chest and used them to push the man, pulling the sword in the process. Hercule's mind went blank. He didn't hear the gasps of horror around him, nor the cries of his granddaughter for her friend or perhaps more. The only thing on his mind was the rage and indignation he felt when he saw the limp body of Goku's first and only disciple fall to the floor.

"SHEN LONG!" His roar could be heard above the raging winds coming from the last two standing warriors "DESTROY ABBADON!"

Overhearing his plea, the destroyer's hand glowed red, readying to destroy the dragon, least he himself were destroyed. Pan was soon onto him, blocking the attack with her palms and sending it up into space. The monster released a bestial scream and hit her with the hilt of his sword, sending her crashing to the palace. However, before he could continue in his attack, Shen Long's voice answered for their wish.

"I AM SORRY BUT THAT WISH IS BEYOND MY CAPABILITIES."

Both Satan and Abbadon blinked twice at this. The monster then snickered and fell into a fit of giggles, crouching over his stomach trying to contain his laughter.

"Oh my gosh!" He said in a perfect imitation of his daughter's voice and the champ had to force himself not to cry at the sigh. "To think I was so worried about that stupid legend and it turns out it can do nothing to stop me! Hahaha! "

"SHEN LONG! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? DESTROY HIM!"

"I AM SORRY BUT THAT WISH IS BEYOND MY CAPABILITIES."

"Hahaha! Please try it again; I heard the third is a charm."

"YOU HAVE TWO WISHES."

"STOP MOCKING ME DAMNIT!" At this Abbadon ceased his laughing and stared at the people down in the lookout with interest. Something similar to a compassionate look crossed his face.

"I guess I could do that, this planet was the most entertaining so far. I mean, I got to fight the strongest warriors…" He pointed with his hands to the ruins of the palace and Uub's body "…I saw some amazing sighs…" He gestured vaguely towards the dragon "…I even got a rockin' body!" He puffed his chest and put his hands on his hips.

"DON'T TALK ABOUT VIDEL LIKE THAT" Satan screamed, trembling with ire and fear while pointing his finger toward the destroyer.

"YOU HAVE TWO WISHES." Insisted the dragon. Not that anyone was listening.

"Videl? You mean this woman? Uh. "Abbadon looked up and stroked his chin pondering something "I didn't know that was her name, I just saw her body in that Gohan dude's mind and liked it enough to take that form." He blinked twice and looked back at the group. A Cheshire cat smile adorned his face and Satan couldn't help but think it was unnatural for a human to smile that widely. A second later pain exploded in Satan's mind, for the fourth time that week he felt himself burn and freeze at the same time that a black crack, darker even that sky over their heads appeared to Abbadon's right. Long green claws, followed by a pair of even longer hands forced their way through the gap in space opening it until the whole body could pass. The creature was eight feet tall even though its back was curved, very much like a gorilla. Its body was long, in proportion even more than a human's but even longer was its arms. It had two elbow joints on each of them with spikes on the shoulders. The legs had similar shape to those of a frog but with scales and if one looked closely there were very little thorns on them. Its mouth had sharp tooth, its irises were from all colors in the rainbow. Finally, two horns in the shape of blades came out of its forehead and a halo was above them.

The creature stood still for a few seconds, the pain Satan felt increasing with every single one. The new monster howled to the sky and its halo shined with an intensity that hurt the eyes of those who witnessed it. Black cracks appeared on it and Hercule felt his head was about to explode from the pressure he was now feeling behind his eyes. When the halo finally exploded in a million pieces the pain receded. He felt his vision was off, he saw everything tinted red. With a startle he realized he was shedding tears of blood. The lookout was eerily silent but for the heavy gasps for air from the people on it. Abbadon's voice though, who seemed unperturbed by the whole ordeal, sounded crystal clear for those present.

"Videl, the slayer of time. Videl, destroyer of life. I like how it sounds." He said, testing it out. He turned to the newcomer "What do you think Behemoth? Should I change my name?" Behemoth growled in response "Yeah but I like it anyways."

"Stop making fun of my mother!" Pan yelled at them while she forced herself to stand up. Pearls of sweat were falling from her face and she was having trouble to breath. The SS3 was causing stress on her body, a transformation that was not meant to be maintained with a normal body. Despite that Pan had tried to fight in that form, and was now paying the price. Abbaddon could see that pain the young girl was in, yet didn't stop smiling.

"Oh? I thought you would be happy with that. I'm offering you to make your mother's name famous all across the universe!" The destroyer exclaimed extending his arms. The saiyan girl growled, her eyes fixed on the enemy. Cracks were appearing around her from an overwhelming pressure that Hercule felt –yes, he felt it- was coming from his granddaughter. Even at the distance the world champion felt how it was gradually pushing him away, smashing him against the floor. If she didn't regain control her own power was probably kill them all.

"I mean, just imagine it! People from all races, from all the galaxy; From places you wouldn't start to imagine and lifestyles you couldn't begin to understand, all of them linked together by the same hate, the same demise! Cursing between their teeth your mother's name as the light disappears from their eyes and they fall into oblivion! Videl will be known…"

"Shut up!" The teenage girl couldn't stand it anymore and screamed in rage. The power she was releasing increased dramatically and blew the crowd away, a better destiny than that of the floor that was crushed around her. "That will never happen! No one will know it, no one will curse my mother's name, because I'm going to kill you right now! I will destroy you, I will obliterate you from existence!" Cries of anger and frustration were heard as they golden warrior focused all her hatred in the monster that had taken her mother's form. If Abbadon was a glacier, a cold murderer that killed without a second thought, Pan was the sun, a burning star that burnt everything that approached with tongues of fire, fueled by hate that increased in intensity by the second. Hercule started to fear, no by the imminent threat that was the destroyer, no by the dim future that seemed to await humanity, but feared by the loss of the humanity his granddaughter had left. She was different; she was no longer the little angel he knew. Something had transformed her in the time and spirit room and he was looking at the consequences…

"And how would you do that?" Abbadon mocked, and the champ started to fear he had provoked her too much.

"I mean, I'm the stronger warrior in the universe! The difference is so big it's not even funny! It is kind of sad if you think about it; after all this hype I'm just destroying all, no real opposition or anything like that"

"Then why would you do it? Why would you kill everyone? Why, my parents, my uncle, Trunks, Buu, Uub?" Her voice seemed to crack at the last one. She was now trembling and her head hung low.

"What could you get from doing something like this? Just, why?"

"Why?" He asked her, "I want to conquer the past, to destroy the present, to stop the future. I want to write my name in history over and over again until there is nothing else. I want to create a universe where I am the only truth, the only certainty. I did it because I am Videl, the only true conqueror of time!"

"So that's the reason" Pan responded, her voice misleadingly calm. Her power rose, her hair and the debris around her floated in the air and for a moment the champ could finally see it, the golden tail that the girl didn't have the day before. In a swift movement she rose her arm, an energy ball coming from it passing besides Abaddon's head. The energy attack flew higher into the firmament and stopped a few dozens of meters away, a silver glow in the endless night. Abaddon barely needed to move to dodge the attack, and looked somewhat disappointed.

"What was that attack, saiyan child? That can't be your best shot after all this barking. Poorly aimed, slow as an energy attack can be, thrown with a motion you could see from a mile away… It didn't even have a hundredth of the energy of your previous attacks! If that's how you fight when you get angry, then I fear I wasted my breath." The monster stated. His voice didn't have half of his previous joy. A moment of silence passed, the only noise being the shaking of the lookout due to the clash of powers, before Pan answered.

"I didn't want to use this technique." She said trembling in fury "I told myself it was too strong, that earth wouldn't, couldn't take that kind of punishment. I was wrong. Someone like you deserves the worst they can get" The girl raised her head, forcing herself to look at the floating orb. A wild convulsion assaulted her body, but in no moment she averted her gaze. A second of silence followed, and, when it seemed nothing would happen, it all started.

THUMP THUMP. A wild heartbeat coming from deep within her

Pan went stiff, her canines looking sharper than before. Her pupils contracted and a tint of red surrounded her teal eyes. The Saiyan girl bent in pain, as if something had gone horribly wrong. Her face was distorted from pain, her mouth drooling as it has no longer place to keep her long fangs. The red in her eyes had already consumed the white in them and her face, completely disfigured, resembled more a demon than a human.

THUMP THUMP. A second pair of beats resounded in her ears. The girl's world dissolved into nothingness.

A second wave of pain expanded through her body, but she accepted it with confronted emotions. It was painful, but right, as if her body was meant for it. The girl's muscles expanded under her skin, risking to rip and thorn her in half yet growing as if the resistance meant nothing. Her bones enlarged, increasing her size several times in space of seconds. They heard the shrieks of pain from the saiyan armor as it stretched itself, undertaking forces that no piece of clothing should ever experience, yet it lived true to its reputation by not breaking through the whole transformation.

THUMP THUMP.

A third pair of bestial beats in her mind and the girl let out a roar. Her face enlarged, her nose turning into a snout and her ears changing into those of an animal. Golden fur covered her body like armor made of sunlight and shone in the darkness, defying what seemed to be humanity's last night.

Mr Satan gasped in horror as his last descendant underwent the shocking metamorphosis. He closed his eyes, told himself it was impossible, he tried to deny the truth that he couldn't understand. No matter how hard he tried, he was forced to accept what was in front of his eyes. There, where his little angel had been fighting until then, stood a giant ape monster with armor. The oozaru roared in defiance and Behemoth backed away in a fit of animal instinct. Abbadon readied his stance while laughing it off.

"Hahaha! Will surprises never end? Come on girl, you said it yourself! Give me your worst!"

"Grandma, Grandpa! Use the dragon balls and bring them back!" The oozaru roared at them before jumping forward. The giant monkey moved with speed several times faster than before, taking the two enemies by surprise. The great ape dragged them in a giant tackle, and not too long after that they were fighting thousands of meters away from where the others were. The sudden movement of such a humongous mass created a void of air where it used to stand, pulling the people on the lookout like a giant vacuum and making them fall from the sacred place. Mr. Satan screamed for his life as he fell to the void, yet when he thought it was the end his fall was stopped by a soft surface. Faster than the blink of an eye he was transported to Kami-sama's home, then dropped butt first. While still caressing his pained butt Hercule looked to his savior, a Mr Popo that was just finishing bringing people back with a magic carpet.

"Haha, thank you." The wrestler laughed hysterically as he couldn't believe that he had yet again escaped death. The genie answered with a broad smile that, though he was thankful, still creeped Hercule out. He looked around, everyone seemed as pained as he was from the rough "transportation", but he was glad that they hadn't lost anyone. Dende had run towards Uub as soon as he had landed and was looking at his state. The god gasped in surprise before turning to everyone.

"Everyone listen! Uub is alive!" Everyone cheered as the namekian started to work his magic on the fallen teen. Before they knew it the man had stopped bleeding, and color was returning to his face.

Satan looked around trying to locate his granddaughter. In the distance he could see a bright yellow spot so he assumed it was her.

"COME, TELL ME YOUR WISH. I WILL GRANT ANY TWO WISHES YOU HAVE."

"Pan said we should resurrect someone" Bra was the first to recover "The only one I can think of is Mr Buu." Hercule nodded. He knew the pink warrior was strong and the only other strong person he knew had only died once was Cell. Something told him the android wouldn't have the strength or the will to help them so Buu was their best choice. However, the others didn't seem to think that way.

"That would be as good as nothing. Buu is very strong, but he is only as strong as Behemoth is. He would only last against Abaddon as long as he wanted him to last." Roshi said cooling them down. "we would need someone like Goku or Gohan to beat him"

"Then why don't we let him absorb Goku or Gohan? That way he would become stronger and we could resurrect him." Said Bulma as stating the obvious.

"Do you want that monster to absorb my Gohan or Goku? Have you lost your mind?" Chichi argued against the idea. The other saiyan wife winked at her.

"You don't have to worry for things like that. Buu is one of the good guys now and he can choose what people to absorb and which to return to us. We only have to ask him to return them to the other world after he beats Abaddon."

"That… may actually be a good idea. It's true that we never know when Majin Buu could get angry and release his evil side again, but as long as he doesn't absorb someone evil it should be okay." Mumbled Roshi, looking for any defect to the plan.

"Buu is a good kid! He won't go crazy again! I can assure you!" Mr. Satan added, supporting his friends.

"I fear that's not among our options." King Kai's voice echoed in their minds. "It's true that Mr. Buu would be very strong if he absorbed one of the saiyans, but to do that he would need to have his body in the other world. We couldn't retrieve his body when he died because there was nothing left of it, so if you used the dragon balls he wouldn't resurrect here but were his body was when he died, on Earth. We had already thought of that option and tried to reconstruct his body, but the magic it required was beyond anything we could do."

"What if he absorbed someone from Earth? Someone who didn't die?"

"I'm afraid that the only strong fighter you have left is Pan, and even if he absorbed her it wouldn't be that big of a difference. Not to mention that she would lose the influence from the burutsu rays that keeps her in oozaru mode. No, he would be even weaker than the current Pan if he absorbed her."

"What about me?" Asked Uub from the floor. "I don't know what you are talking about, but if he can stop Abaddon I'm ready to be absorbed."

"That would be able to work. You may not know this, but you used to be the same being. You could be as strong as super Buu, no; with your current power level you would be far stronger. However, we have already someone in mind who could be far more useful than Buu."

"Who are you talking about?" Bulma asked "Every other fighter we know died when Super Buu destroyed the earth. Buu is the strongest who didn't die before"

"You are mistaken, Bulma. There is someone else who didn't die when Buu attacked, not because she was strong, but she was in the other world during all the fight. She is not a fighter herself but she can break the rules of the dead and bring the people we need there" The god spoke mysteriously. He let the mood sink, waiting then to realize who he was talking about. Most of the people there knew her, but it was the Kame sennin the first one to put the pieces together.

"Of course!" Shouted Roshi "How could I forget?" he turned to the dragon and yelled as loud as he could.

"SHEN LONG! PLEASE RESURRECT MY SISTER, URANAI BABA!

_A_/N: First thing I want to say is thank you. Thank you for taking your time to read up to this point. I know the chapter was long (and it was cut in half!) but hopefully chapters 3 onwards will be a little shorter. Second I want to explain something: I know that there are warriors like Gohan, Goten, Trunks and Piccolo that were resurrected only with the namekian dragon balls. The same applies for most of earth's inhabitants. Technically, since the restriction on earth's dragon balls is that you can't ask for the same wish twice, they should be able to resurrect with the ones from earth as they were never wished back with those. However, in order to make the story more interesting, we will go with this rule: if someone was brought back with dragon balls, you can't do it again using the earthling ones. R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT nor any of its characters and I earn no money from writing fanfiction about them

Chapter 2: The second wish.

In the Grand Kai's planet, the people there gathered cheered as the halo over the old witch disappeared.

"Remember" King Kai told them "This will only work once and for a day at most. And if you die, your soul will disappear. This is your only shot at this so don't miss out."

Gohan nodded. His wounds from the battle with Angra Manyu were still fresh but he couldn't afford the time for them to heal on their own. He would need to see Dende as soon as he got there. His wife stood by his side and kissed him in the cheek "Go save our daughter" she said as seriously as she could and Gohan nodded again, clutching the hole on his shoulder in pain. All around the long dead warriors gave their two cents.

"Go get them tiger." Tien said.

"Show them not to mess with earth." Yamcha said.

"Do your best, I know you can do it." Was Krillin's advice.

"Avenge our planet!" Some unknown alien shouted from the back. Gohan listened to everyone and everything, every show of encouragement. He turned to the other four chosen warriors and his face turned into one of determination. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again he was back in the lookout.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. I WILL GRANT YOU A SECOND WISH. TELL ME YOUR SECOND WISH." A second passed. Two seconds. Five seconds. And at the sixth, six people arrived to the lookout. The first one was an old lady wearing a witch costume and sat in a floating crystal ball. Satan assumed she was Roshi's sister. As soon as she arrived the others fazed into existence.

"Goten!" "Trunks!" Bulma and Chichi ran towards their sons, hugging them before they could even breathe. The young men tried to struggle against the embrace of their mothers, but soon enough they gave up on that and tried to console the crying women. Behind them Satan saw Krillin's wife, standing beside a young man Hercule didn't recognize. He had shoulder length dark hair and blue eyes, and an uncanny resemblance to 18. They stood a little apart of the group; all of their family was already dead and even though they had friends on earth they weren't as close to them as the saiyans were. He wondered why they were there; neither them nor their families could be resurrected with the dragon balls, they had no reason to fight. A single look to their eyes was what he needed to understand. They wouldn't fight for survival like the rest of them but for justice and revenge against those who wronged them and their family. He didn't know how strong they were but he was certain they would fight until losing the last drop of their blood. Behind them was the last man of the team…

"GOHAN! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" Chichi voice cracked when she saw him and hurried towards her eldest. Everyone gasped at the sight of their strongest warrior, bent to his knees by the pain of his wounds. He had cuts and bruises on every inch of his body and some burns on top of them; an eye so swollen he couldn't see with it and a large hole on his chest that had splattered blood on his torn apart clothes. Even in that pitiful state the half saiyan stood up, proving he wasn't as bad as he looked.

"I was fighting one of Abbadon's henchmen in the otherworld." The group started to murmur at the news; they had no idea that the world of death was in trouble too. "Dad and Vegeta are fighting the guy as we speak."

"Gohan, what is going on?" Bulma asked the question in everybody's mind. The man opened his mouth to answer, but winced in pain at the effort. In a moment Earth's guardian was by him working his magic. Being best friends with god surely had its benefits. Hercule looked around and was not surprised to see that Uub had already left to rejoin the fight. The rest of the other world team had also entered in action, moving apart of the rest of the group and their wounded comrade. They had positioned six steeps apart from each other and were barking orders to each other as if preparing for something.

"Hey Goten, lower your energy already, I can't go that high without turning super"

"Ha! That's precious! Who is holding the other back now, eh Trunks?"

"Shut up. Some of us have to work. I can't train as much as I want. Now lower your ki."

Mirroring them, 18 and the stranger were also bickering.

"Place your feet closer to each other! I don't want to end up being a fatso again."

"My feet had nothing to do with that. Just worry about your own movements and we will be fine."

"Seriously! Screw up now and I will never forgive you!"

By this time several members of the group turned to the pairs and some even sported knowing smiles now. Satan was starting to wonder what the heck was going on when the four started to move. nothing had prepared him to witness what happened next. They started to dance.

"FU…" They started to chant while moving closer to each other. The members of each duo moved three steps towards their partners, mirroring their movements. Their arms waved in an arc above their heads, their palms facing ahead and meeting in the center.

"…SION!" The warriors shouted. In one swift movement their arms crossed their bodies so that they were parallel to the floor and their extended fingers pointed in the opposite direction of their partner's location. One of their legs was raised and flexed, so that the upper part was at waist level and in a 90 degrees angle with the other leg, the foot touching the other leg's knee. At this point Hercule started to wonder if the pressure was too much for the kids and they went nuts. What happened next, however, was so strange that he started to wonder if it wasn't him who had gone insane.

"HA!" Both duos shouted, placing both feet on solid ground and waving their arms over their head again, this time their fingers touching with the ones of their partners. A blinding flash occurred and when he opened his eyes, were the four of them previously stood, two new fighters had come to be. The first one, placed between where Goten and Trunks were supposed to be, looked a lot like Vegeta but his hair was not only black but with purple streaks on it. He wore a black vest with purple trimming and white pants. The second one looked a lot like… well… the twins. His hair was silver with dark streaks and his clothes were the same as the fused saiyans but with red trimmings.

"Gotenks and 35 reporting for action!" Said the fused saiyan with a confident grin, right before his hair went blond.

"Let's kick some ass!" He screamed before flying off at full speed. 35 mumbled something about never agreeing to that name before following due.

" What the hell was that?" was what Hercule wanted to ask but Bra beat him to the punch. It was Bulma who answered.

"Oh right, you have never seen a fusion before. I am not entirely sure how it works but it's a technique that allows two martial artists to transform into one who is far stronger than both of them would be together"

"Wait, so that's it? How come we haven't used that yet? Did we really have to wait until we were the last ones alive to do that?" Hercule asked bewildered. If the technique was so great then if Gohan fused with someone then they may have won by now.

"Well… it's not that simple. Both warriors have to be of the same height and if they don't even their power levels at the time of the dance the technique doesn't work. And unless they follow the steps perfectly and at the same time they end up as a weakling instead of a fighter so not everyone can fuse and is very risky to do it without practice. If their fingers don't touch properly or if they make a mistake in one of the forms or if they mess the distance or tempo then it's worse than useless"

"Are they going to remain like that?" Bra asked her mother. The older woman shook her head.

"No, the technique lasts half an hour at best and it needs an hour of rest time between fusions. They are a lot stronger now though, so they might end this before they need to do it again." She said reassuringly. Hercule sighed. Now that he thought about it he remembered seeing something similar when they fought Buu. He made a mental note to remember about this stuff, who knows, maybe if there is a next time he would be able to help…

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZ

Left, up, right, down. Only split of second decisions allowed Abbadon to dodge the constant barrage of attacks the great ape was throwing his way. Not only was the saiyan bigger and stronger but way faster than she was before. A wild grin crept to the god's face as he barely dodged a punch, the wind alone created from it menacing to send him flying hundreds of meters away. He quickly grabbed hold of a mass of golden fur and accelerated to speeds unheard of before as Pan retracted her arm, not knowing she was also pulling of him. Releasing his hold right before it stopped, Abbadon was propelled towards Pan's face, sword in hand and ready to stab her eye. Sensing the danger, the quarter saiyan back rolled on the spot, barely avoiding the lost of an eye but receiving a deep cut in the forehead instead. The destroyer couldn't dwell in the little victory though as in the same movement the monkey sent a kick his way, hitting his back and sending him flying thousands of meters away.

The Oozaru phased out of view and appeared behind its opponent. She readied to punch the approaching foe but something held her arm. Behemoth had decided to join the fray, using one of his techniques to hold her with some kind of energy whips that were now burning past the golden fur and into her skin. Pan let out a roar of pain which snapped Abbadon out of his daze. He twisted in midair and aimed his sword for a slash, speeding up towards the giant. Realizing what was happening; Pan used both of her foot to crush Abbadon, very much like one would do to a mosquito. Only by using both of his arms to stop her could Abbadon avoid a flattening end.

Pan waved her arm wildly, sending the king of beasts, who was still holding her, flying behind its master at the same time that she prepared an energy beam on her mouth. Abbadon's eyes widened when he saw the humongous attack prepared to blast him. He powered up and released the paws, which quickly closed onto him. With a powerful slash the conqueror made a great cut on the base of the limb and right before he was crushed took refuge into it. With a sharp energy beam he made his way out of the clutch, enlarging the wound in the process and coming out between the incoming energy attack and his shadow servant. Abbadon flew towards his companion, the beam right on his heels. He grabbed hold of Behemoth and went down not a second too late; he felt a hellish heat behind him and blisters forming and exploding on his back. Turning his head a little he confirmed what he felt; he not only had several burns now but half of his cape had ceased to exist, the other half surely soon to follow. Not only that, but his clothes were ruined, dyed black with blood.

A not so gentle push got him out of his musings; a giant monkey's fist was where he was not a second ago. As he began dodging the monstrous punches again he made a mental note of thanking Behemoth for getting him out of the way. He then felt a familiar energy coming their way but he couldn't really bother with it while fighting the great ape. He sent a nod in his servant's way, who growled to show he understood. Behemoth then phased out of sight, reappearing less than a second later behind its master to block Uub's incoming kick with its knee. The king of beasts caught the two following punches with its hands and head butted Uub in the face, cutting one of his eyes with its horns. The monster then bitted the Indian man in the shoulder and flew away from the main battle to deal with him in peace. Abbadon mentally told him to hurry.

The fighting resumed and Abbadon found himself dodging and parrying the attacks with his sword again. The destroyer found himself laughing at the situation, low at first but growing in volume as the fight went on. It had been a long time since a planet had provided with such an entertainment. It was then that he felt an approaching energy, somehow familiar yet unknown. He flew left and up dodging a kick from his opponent and raised his hand over his head; he threw two energy balls in rapid fire, the second faster than the first and both aiming for his opponent head. The ki blasts collided midway, making a big explosion of blinding light. While his foe couldn't see him, Abbadon powered up and dived towards his enemy, hitting her in the stomach and sending her speeding to the ground. No sooner had he done this that he turned around and blocked with the flat of his sword an incoming left punch from his new opponent.

The new opponent (he had golden hair so he was probably a saiyan) threw another punch at him, this one with his right and aiming for his stomach. Abbadon caught it with his right and did the same with his hand holding the sword when the newcomer tried again with his left. The saiyan went for a headbutt which Abbadon countered with one of his own, then he sent a palm strike to the man's chest, followed by a point blank energy attack that sent the saiyan flying away. Sensing an energy signal coming from behind Abbadon flew up and thrust both of his legs down, kicking Uub's back, who tried to ambush him from behind. The swordsman frowned at this, Uub shouldn't be able to defeat behemoth on his own yet he was here and the King of beast's energy signal told him he was wounded. He didn't felt any warrior going their way so how was he here so fast?

No time to think about that, he was now surrounded by what seemed the human version of ghosts; all of them looking like the male saiyan he had been fighting before. They formed a perimeter around him and one of them tried to tackle him. Abbadon promptly cut it in half with his sword and a big explosion took place that made the destroyer shake in its spot. He raised an eyebrow at the strength of the explosion. If a single one could make a blast so big then…oh.

The specters went for him in groups of two and three and he had to resort to either dodging or blasting them from the distance with energy attacks. The apparitions started to grow bolder, using some as decoys to try to surprise him by the sides. At the end eight of the ghosts remained and charged for him all at the same time. The destroyer prepared himself to outfly them and finish this when Pan's gigantic hand flatted them all. Abbadon felt the brunt of both the hit and the explosions as he fell toward the ground. He felt his sword slip from his hand and flying away from him. He opened his eyes and made to grab it but had to stop midway and spin in the opposite direction to evade an energy beam from Uub. As he was spinning however he saw that someone else had already got the blade; a new silver haired warrior was holding it with both of his hands and was ready to cut him in half. In a split of a second decision, Abbadon sent a ki blast towards the blade. Both fighters were knocked away by the resulting explosion but at least he was still in one piece and the sword was again in the air and going up.

Abbadon went again for his sword, the energy signals around him telling him Gotenks was doing the same. He sped up to reach it first but had to stop because Pan was again on him. He blocked the ape's punch with both of his hands, grabbed one of her finger and with a mighty battle cry he swung her around and threw him to the fused saiyan, stopping him from grabbing the weapon. Abbadon flew up again to catch the now falling sword but got tackled from behind by Uub. The destroyer cursed as the sword passed by them and elbowed the Indian man, breaking his arm and the hold on him.

Once free, the swordsman shot down, decided to this time get the weapon. 35 was in the way though and already releasing a stream of energy attacks. Abbadon dived between them like a madman, evading the attacks and passing by 35, but not before sending his own energy blast to the android's face. He finally reached and seized the weapon and allowed himself a little smile but had to quickly turn around and block two energy disks with it. The energy attacks pushed his sword back a little and he felt how they cut a few locks of his hair before sending them away.

He stared at the four warriors floating in the distance. They were all panting by the effort and so was he. He recognized two of them, the others this was the first time he met. They had halos on their heads, meaning they were dead. It worried him a little that they could bring people from the otherworld but shrugged the feeling off, focusing again on them. On closer inspection he recognized the clothes they were wearing. Their style was that of the metamorphan race, which would make them fusions. That explained why the saiyan felt familiar, his signal felt like Goten's and trunks, which would make him their fusion. The other one he had no idea though, he could feel no energy signal coming from him.

"HAHAHA! I LOVE THIS PLANET!" Abbadon felt his body tremble and his voice quiver from the excitement: "A GIANT MONKEY! A MAJIN REINCARNATED! A SAIYAN FUSION AND A WARRIOR YOU CAN'T SENSE! WHAT KIND OF WONDER WILL I FIGHT NEXT?"

This statement didn't sit well with the earth's warriors and soon Pan, Uub and 35 were fighting him again. Abbadon used his sword to keep them at bay, blocking the hits from the saiyan girl and making the others keep their distance less they wanted to be cut in half. Soon the human and the android decided to change their strategy, flying away and blasting him from the distance, leaving close quarters to the giant.

It was when Pan tried to hit him with a kick that something smashed against her leg, making her miss. Abbadon didn't have to look to know Behemoth had finally healed its wounds and was now ready for action. The beast had changed its color to white and his face was thinner, had no scales and had lost its spikes. It was in a shape that favored speed and waited no time to prove it. It phased out of view to appear behind the android, kicking it on the back and phasing again to do the same to Uub. It repeated the process, knowing they wouldn't recover in time on their own.

Abbadon didn't waste the opening his servant gave him. He slipped through the ape's guard and slashed its stomach viciously, several times. He stopped his onslaught with a roundhouse kick, sending her away. He prepared a house sized ki blast to smitten her, only to be hit in the hands by a laser-like ki beam which made him miss. The destroyer looked up to see that it was Gotenks who attacked him, holding his hands together with his indexes extended like a gun to take aim better.

Gotenks sent a volley of the same attack against him and Abbadon flew around them as he charged against Gotenks. Seeing that the god was still closing the distance the fused saiyan switched to throwing a huge energy blast with both hands. Abbadon, however, was already too close to let that kind of thing stop him so he backslapped the blast with his right and thrust with his left. His blade sunk on the man's stomach, he twisted it and retreated it. Grabbing the man by the neck to stop him from falling, he prepared to pierce the man's heart when he felt someone grip his hand. Turning around, he met Gohan's stern face.

"Honey! You're back!" He squealed happily in his best imitation of Videl's voice. Gohan didn't seem to think it funny as he punched him hard, making him fall. The mystic warrior was soon into him and they started to exchange hits as they flew to the ground. Abbadon cursed under his breath since at that distance he couldn't properly use the blade and the half breed wouldn't let him get away. The swordsman looked down to see the ground approaching fast, this being the opening Gohan had being waiting for. He kicked his wife's look alike in the chin, sending him to crash in the ground.

Abbadon kicked the floor and jumped to the side leaving a crater behind him but he wasn't finished. Stabbing the floor with his sword, he used it to spin around its hilt and fly again towards the saiyan. Gohan raised his arms just in time to block the following kick though he was sent crashing to the ground by the force behind it. Abbadon landed and walked in Gohan's direction, wiping the blood from his mouth as he did so.

"Okay, my bad, I shouldn't have said that. Shouldn't you be in limbo fighting my shadow though?" Asked the entity. Gohan scowled as he got up from the pile of debris.

"I was sent here to stop you. But don't worry about it, King Enma is safe from your shadow." He said as he readied his stance.

Abbadon frowned at this and closed his eyes. A second later he was smiling in glee. He raised his right hand and several green sparks came to be, dancing around it.

"I see, your father and the prince took your place. Well, let's see how long they last against a fully healed Angra Manyu."

Gohan's eyes widened when he heard this. "NO!" He screamed as he put his hands together and threw a masenko to his opponent. Abbadon flew up evading the attack; the boisterous sound behind him informed him the place had just become a giant trench. A second wave came his way, if the previous one was any indication of this one's strength he would have to dodge it. He went higher and faster, the beam missed him by little. An incoming energy signal made him look up; Uub was falling with his arms crossed in front of his face, it seemed he had just taken a hit and hadn't noticed the destroyer below him. Taking advantage of the opening he phased behind the human and kicked him hard on the back, a sickening crack telling him this hit would surely count. The human was sent flying up, right to the hands of the quarter saiyan who was following him down.

Realizing he was giving an opening to the half breed, Abbadon turned around just in time to block Gohan's next barrage of hits. The swordsman was pushed back by the onslaught and had to retreat skyway but as he did so 35 sneaked behind him and grabbed Abbadon in a Nelson hold. Unable to fully use his arms he had to resort to kicks to try and block Gohan's hits. After a few seconds of beating Abbadon finally managed to block, spun the blade on his hand and used a wrist movement helped with his incredible strength to throw it and try to stab the android behind him, who was forced to release him to save its life. Once his arms were free the threat to earth hit Gohan in the head with both of his hand clenched together, sending him down again.

On a hunch the saiyaman 2 flew back, just in time to avoid being squashed between the great ape's elbow and knee. Another hunch told him he really shouldn't be giving his back to the android and a single glance confirmed it as two energy disks were coming his way. He changed his position to fly horizontally between both disks and kicked them both in the center, pushing them away from him. Abbadon extended his arms wide and caught the fist of Pan and her father that came from opposite directions. Father and daughter prepared themselves to hit again and as many times as it took to take him down when Abbadon heard a screech above them. He could only catch a glimpse of Behemoth before it landed into his shoulder, sending him down and using him as a platform to rebound and attack the son of Goku.

Abbadon recovered fast and while mumbling about the crude methods of his henchmen he shot up and kicked the monkey hard on the snout, taking her out of the way. He felt a volley of energy balls hit him. He looked up and saw the ones responsible. He almost burst into laughing at the sight of Uub and Gotenks holding each other and tied by the waist with what seemed to be a rope made of the remains of both of their pants. Then again both of them were severely wounded; Gotenks with a hole on the stomach and Uub with an arm broken and his legs paralyzed rendering him unable to fly.

Abbadon dodged the salvo of attacks by flying on an arc, the final destination both of the fighters. He phased in front of them and hit Gotenks twice, once on his wound and once on the neck. He allowed himself an evil smirk when he saw them both falling, Uub screaming like crazy to his friend to wake up.

His moment of joy was cut short as Gohan approached from below. Looking down he saw that Behemoth had his sword in hand while charging against 35, who was about to throw a big energy ball at it. The monster phased out of view, appearing between the ki blast and the android with the weapon ready to slash it but Abbadon could see no more; the half breed's punch to his stomach proved to be distracting enough. Both warriors traded blows, none of them backing down in the slightest. Gohan was the first to retreat, kicking him to put some distance. The unarmed fencer tried to follow, however, his attempt was cut short before it could even begin as Pan slammed both of her fists on his back. How could the giant monkey surprise attack him was beyond him but he soon engaged her on combat.

He dodged and blocked, looking for an opening on her guard to slip by but finding none of it until he sensed her father coming from behind. Thinking fast he flew to meet him at full speed, catching the warrior unaware. Abbadon made a feint with his fist and caught Gohan's hand when he tried to block; he spun fast and threw the demisaiyan to his daughter's incoming and gigantic fist. It hit the earthling warrior and kept its path, taking the warrior with it until Abbadon kicked him, sending Gohan and the fist away. Taking advantage of the hit's momentum, the Videl-look-alike prepared a humongous energy disk and threw it towards Pan's tail. However, the disk was too big and the motion too fast; his lack of aiming made it hit both of the ape's legs instead of its extra limb. The resulting explosion made the female warrior cry in pain and roll in midair as a scarlet rain now fell into earth. The light also momentarily blinded him and Abbadon blinked a few times until his eyes readjusted. When he could finally see again, he was the only figure in the darkened sky.

Looking around he saw the eternal dragon floating in the distance and realized with glee he was again level with the lookout; the thin air would play in his favor for the next round of the fight. One by one the five defenders of earth appeared in front of him. Gohan's blood was falling in torrents from his mouth; the last two hits had pulled a number on him. Pan's legs were shivering from the pain her new wounds caused her, there was so much of the red fluid coming from them that her fur was dyed brown. 35 was cut on several places so deep his bones could be seen, be it from claws or sword. His face was ruined, as half of its muscle seemed to have been bitten of, most likely courtesy of Behemoth. Uub was the most damaged, his legs were useless, one arm broken and his other shoulder bitten. One of his eyes had been cut at the beginning of the fight but the other was glaring at him, making clear he would never give up. He was still tied the Gotenks who was a lot paler than before from the loss of blood. It was to him that Abbadon spoke to.

"Hello again dear. Where is Behemoth?" He asked nonchalantly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I mean no disrespect but both Uub and two faces over there are too weak to have beaten him and, lets be honest, you are not in the best shape to fight him either. So I can't help to wonder, where is my son?" He finished with a smile.

Gotenks smirked at this and his answer was in the same carefree tone. "Well… lets say he is playing volleyball in the moon by now."

Abbadon raised an eyebrow at this, he had the feeling his shadow's destiny was not quite as fun as that sounded. "Oh, I see. When he is finished, could you tell him to finish everyone in the planet? It's not that I have anything against you but some of your friends and family are still alive and that is a big no-no to my plans so…"

"You are not going to kill anyone." Gohan interrupted him "You shan't leave this planet alive."

"Oh, come on honey! Aren't you being unreasonable?" He replied in Videl's voice "You know I'm stronger than you and I grow stronger with every second. Father has no chance against the third so in a few minutes tops Enma will be dead and I unstoppable. And darling, even if you manage to wound me a little, how long can souls like you remain on this realm? I can simply run away and return with Behemoth when there is only our Pan and Uub…"

"SHUT UP!" Pan's roar silenced the speech "Stop speaking like that! He is not your husband! I am not your daughter! Grandpa is not your father in law! I could never be related like something like you so STOP! ACTING! LIKE! MY! MOTHER!"

"But… but Pan! How could you say that to me? Sniff" Abbadon said in mocking hurt, his eyes becoming wet from his false tears. He raised his ki as he said this and the warriors readied their stance as thunder started to dance around him "How could you say we are not related? Don't you see my face? Don't you hear my voice? Gohan, talk to her!"

"Enough" Gohan's voice was cold, he hadn't felt this angry since his fight against Cell "We are ending this now"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZz

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? SAY YOU SECOND WISH FAST. WHATEVER IT IS I WILL GRANT IT, OR DO YOU HAVE NO OTHER WISH?" Hercule heard Shen Long's voice thundering in the sky.

"WAIT! We still have a wish so if you could wait a little more time…" Roshi tried to appease the dragon but it was no use.

"IHAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOUR SECOND WISH, FOR A LONG TIME. SAY YOUR WISH OR I WILL…"

"LISTEN TO ME YOU OVERGROWN LIZARD! YOU WILL STAY HERE AS LONG AS WE WANT OR ELSE I WILL GATHER THE DRAGONBALLS NEXT YEAR ONLY TO BLOW YOU UP AND HAVE DENDE HERE REPAIR YOU SO WE CAN DO IT AGAIN!" Bulma screeched to the apparition. The god of dragons stared at her for a few seconds before turning its gaze to the distance were the fight was having place.

The atmosphere was grim at the lookout, only Dende's shouts could be heard over the raging winds. At the beginning of it they had relied on the namekian to tell them what was happening but now they also had a visual help. A bright yellow spot could be seen in the distance; Pan's size and golden fur made them know where the combat was taking place. Every now and then her shouts and screams reached their ears but about the state of the others they would know only by the guardian's tale; Roshi's sister having left for the otherworld as soon as she brought the combatants from there.

Hercule caught some movement to his left, turning around he saw that Chichi had knelt down in prayer. One by one everyone there joined her in the floor with their hands clasped together and without realizing the champ followed suit. Unbeknown to him the motion was repeated all across the universe and the otherworld, all the souls were bound together by a single wish, that of getting past this dark times. As Satan closed his eyes and started to mumble, asking for every living god out there to listen, Gohan's words resounded in his brain, reminding him of the threat they were facing.

FLASHBACK

"_Gohan? What is going on?" Chichi asked shyly to her eldest. "Why is Goku fighting in the otherworld?"_

_Gohan shifted uncomfortably as the namekian healed his wounds. He seemed uncertain about what he was about to say but gave a surrendering sigh when his mother insisted. He looked up and stared into everyone eyes. He waited until he made sure nobody would interrupt before answering. "One of Abaddon's shadows is attacking the otherworld. The Kaio shins were the first to die, Abbadon sent his shadow to kill them and then to kill their souls again. They can't be brought back, there is nothing left of them and unless dad can stop him, King Enma will soon follow"_

"_What? Why would they do that?"_

"_He wanted them dead so they could not interfere. Many years ago when we fought Majin Buu not only did they unlock my potential but one of them gave his life to resurrect dad. Abbadon was afraid they would do something like that again so he killed them first. That is also the reason he destroyed new Namek, he thought he would kill all the namekians and the dragon balls with them"_

"_He what?" Dende paled as he said this and Gohan put a hand on his shoulder trying to console him. The earth guardian fell to his knees and tears fell formed on his eyes. Gohan's next words were full with sorrow._

"_It's true. They all died twice already so they can't be brought back either. I am sorry." Everyone fell silent as the young namekian weep for his race. Hercule gulped as he clenched his fists, he had known Dende for a while now but for the life of him couldn't think of anything to make him feel better. Something else was bothering him though, he had the feeling something was not quite right with that story._

"_There…" He said loud enough for everyone to listen "There is something I don't understand. If that guy is so afraid of the dragonballs why didn't he just blow up our planet? I mean, he did it to that… erm… Namek planet because they had them so what is so different about us?"_

"_That's right, it doesn't make any sense. I mean, why bother?" Bulma asked aloud and all of the present but Gohan made noises of agreement. The half breed coughed aloud and clapped his hands a few times for everyone to listen. Once they made silence he continued while sending a few glances in the direction of the battle, clearly thinking about joining._

"_I can only guess but I think it's because ours are weaker than the original ones. You see, the reason Abbadon fears them is because they can bring people back from the grave. Since ours can't do that if someone died twice he probably doesn't think they are that dangerous, after all he just has to kill them again. Now, if you excuse me…"_

"_Wait!" Bra interrupted him "You haven't explained anything yet! Why is my dad fighting in the otherworld? Can this Enma guy bring people back to life too?"_

"_No," Gohan said and he looked resigned when he did so "I didn't want to tell you as to not worry you but you would still worry if I didn't."_

"_Abbadon is a god. One of the first ones in fact." He continued "He was one of the gods that created the otherworld, using his own soul as its base. Because the other world is actually his soul, he gets stronger for every soul in there; he uses part of their power to fight. That's why his second shadow is killing everyone in the universe; that is why he took care of everyone who could resurrect first so that his power could only grow with time"_

_Some of them gasped, some cursed and some only allowed their eyes to widen. It was Oolong who asked the unspoken question: "What about Enma? How does he fit in all this?"_

"_King Enma," Gohan corrected. "Is the god that judges people when they die; the one that decides who goes to heaven or hell. He is also the one who can allow people, like martial artists, to retain their body after they die and to use the power they attained while alive in the afterlife. That is, his permission is needed for that power to be used. As long as Enma is alive Abaddon can't use the strength those in the otherworld had when they were alive"_

"_So if Enma dies…" Gohan nodded_

"_He will be as strong as dad, Vegeta, Krillin, Frieza, Cell, Dabura and every dead fighter we know combined. Once our time in this world is up he would also have my power, the same would happen with Goten, Trunks, 17 and 18. That unless we kill him first of course."_

"_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR?GO KILL HIM!"_

"_But you wanted to know…" Chichi smacked his son's head._

"_NOW!" She screamed along with everyone there. Gohan rubbed the back of his head as he flew away._

"_Geez… everyone keeps screaming at me today."_

END OF FLASHBACK

Hercule kept repeating Gohan's words in his own head, but whenever he did so, he reached the same conclusion.

"_There is nothing I can do." H_e felt so useless_. "Even against Cell and Majin Buu I could help in some way or another, no matter how small that turned out to be, however, I can only pray and hide behind my granddaughter. Damn it, I am the world champion but I don't think I could face this guy in a fight. Chichi is right, I wouldn't even make a decent meat shield…"_

Hercule shook his head, trying to make his thoughts go away _"No! That can't be right. I am Hercule Satan! I AM THE WORLD CHAMPION!" H_e mentally shouted to gather his courage. "_I am… was the hero to millions of people. There must be __something__ I can do, even if it is only moral support."_

It was a simple and good idea. He looked around to see if anyone need it but to his surprise the mood was better than before. It still felt like it could be cut with a knife, bu hey didn't look desperate anymore. The act of praying, as simple as it was, was comforting in its own way, enough for them to calm down. Any other group of people would be desperate by now, some would break down in hysterical cries and fits of laughter; some may even contemplate killing themselves. Not this group though. Hercule had to remind himself they had been in similar situations before and that had hardened them. True, earth had been in danger before and many times the entire world knew it too but only them had always been in the midst of it all; only them had known how serious the situation was and always pulled through. For now, they would be fine.

Realizing that for now he wouldn't be needed, he neared Dende to ask him about the fight. It was a good thing he did it, for the following tremor was stronger than the others, almost making the guardian fall from the platform. Hercule and Mr. Popo quickly grabbed him and stopped him from doing so; the world champion feeling relief as he did so, before remembering the green man could fly so the fall wouldn't have killed him.

"HAAAAAAAAAA!" Pan's roar was carried by the wind and Hercule could see the golden dot in the distance go up and grow brighter. Hercule felt the world start to vibrate and soon a buzzing sound was all he could hear. Another tiny golden dot appeared near Pan but it was soon out-shined by the light his granddaughter was giving.

"What is going on?" he shouted as loud as he could, trying to make himself be heard. The guardian of earth winced in pain at the sudden outburst near his ears but answered back none the less.

"They are all powering up! I have never felt anything like this; Gotenks has gone level three and Pan, Pan is incredible! They are betting all on this one!"

Another flash of light turned their attention back to the fight. The quarter saiyan had finished her powering up and the sky, previously dark from magic, had turned golden in color, the warriors ki stronger than the endless night. Floating in the middle of it all, a primate figure that seemed to be made of pure light was in crouching position, preparing her attack.

"KAME," The cry resounded over earth. Hercule felt a chill, a bad feeling taking over him. He couldn't take his eyes off the battle ahead and it was becoming harder to breath. Everyone in the lookout could feel it, even those who couldn't sense ki, they _knew_ by some kind of primal instinct that there was. Something dangerous, something _evil_ that way.

"What is going on?" The ever so calm tone of Roshi's voice was gone, pure fear had now taken its place "What- what is that thing?"

"HAME," The chant sounded a lot clearer yet distant at the same time. It was as if they and the fight were the only things there. They could barely hear the raging wind that flapped their clothes, their focus on what laid ahead.

"King Enma took a hit!" King Kai's voice in their head alarmed them "He is dying, Pan, you have to stop Abbadon, he is gaining the power of hell!"

"Abbadon's power level is increasing!"

"HAAA!" Louder than any shout before it, the last part of the chant was followed by the by now legendary attack and it was soon joined by another three smaller but still considerably big energy waves. For a moment Hercule thought they had made it but it didn't last long. Time seemed to stop as all sounds disappeared, the air grew still and rocks stopped midflight. Black thunder cut through the energy beam and the golden warrior; the ki attack ceased to be like it had never been there. There was silence as the sky turned black again and the giant ape lost its golden color. There were a few minor explosions like fireworks going off but they stopped after a few seconds and they lost sight of the ape as it dropped to the earth and was swallowed by darkness.

The only sound in the lookout was the one of the small rocks falling to the ground. The world had calmed down.

"What happened just now?" the question was just a whisper but it sounded obscenely high in the quietness of the palace.

"That was Raijinken, the attack Abbadon used to kill Gohan last time. Only it was a lot stronger now." Dende replied, his gaze was lost in the distance, were the fight had taken place. "Pan won't live much longer. The others were also incapacitated soon afterwards."

Chichi sobbed and Hercule gulped. It was Oolong who asked the question. "So… where is Abbadon now?"

"I'm here." A voice he knew came from behind them. He tried to turn around but he wasn't fast enough; with the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a red flash of light. Unfortunately for Hercule he was in a perfect position to watch its results; though only meter apart he could do nothing to help Mr. Popo as he was hit by the blast, blowing him to pieces. The shockwave and surprise made him fall on his butt. He could hear a woman scream after that, but as the genie's blood and innards bathed the champ, only one though was on his mind.

_We are going to die._

"And there goes the strongest warrior left. Kind of disappointing." Abbadon smirked at the shocked faces everyone sported. They would start screaming any second now. "I must say, I had quite some fun clearing this planet. Feels like something is missing though."

"SAY YOUR SECOND WISH, FAST. WHATEVER IT IS, I WILL GRANT IT"

It was a moment in which time slowed down, when everyone remembered the dragon was still there. He wasn't the fastest nor the smartest in the group but none the less it was Oolong the first to react. "Shen Long! I wish you to take us…" the pig shouted but stopped midway through. Blood poured from its neck as the pig's head fell from its shoulders and Abbadon smiled smugly as he lowered his hand. The attack had been too fast to be seen and the hand now rested near his hip like a cowboy in a duel ready to draw his gun at any moment's notice.

_There is no escape._

"Tut, tut, tut. No wishing to escape for you guys." Abbadon mocked them "As much as I enjoyed wiping your planet I don't think I would like searching the universe for seven tiny power levels just to finish the job. Three martial artist, a genius scientist, a namekian, a half saiyan and a bizarre transforming cat. No threat to me at all, but you never know what can happen with time; you may be able to surprise me again. As much as I enjoy a challenge though, I don't feel like waiting. You die today."

Time moved at its normal pace again but nobody dared to move. Bra broke into sobs and her mother hugged her, her eyes trained on the god. Abbadon looked at the dragon, deep in thought. After a few seconds he flashed a smile to the group.

"I have, however, everything I want, so I will let you make the final wish." The god smirked at the incredulous looks he was receiving. Of all things he could say that was the last thing they expected "Not that it will help you but I am feeling generous. It's been proven the dragon can't stop me, so as long as you don't run away from the challenge I will give you a chance to fight back." After saying what he wanted, Abbadon smiled smugly at them and crossed his arms, waiting for them to decide.

Hercule stood very slowly, afraid to anger the destroyer if he did it too fast. He let out a sigh of relief when he was on his feet and very much alive. He approached the group, eyeing the genocide all the while and they started a conference in whispers.

"Do you think we can trust him?" The champ asked the rest of the group.

"I don't think so." Roshi answered him "We don't know why he does what he does, most of the time he seems to do things for fun. He may be lying just to crush our hopes, or he may be telling the truth and change his mind in a fickle. It's hard to tell."

"Even so, it doesn't really matter." Bulma hushed them. She was still hugging her daughter and Hercule could see Bra was trembling with fear. He doubted she could hear what they were saying "Even if he is lying, this is our chance to do something. What should we wish? Should we ask Shen Long to heal the others?"

"Yeah, let's ask for that," Hercule agreed. "That way we have a chance to beat him"

"Even if we heal Pan and the others Abbadon still has the power of the otherworld. While king Enma is dead he can't be defeated." Dende intervened "If we want to have a chance, we must bring King Enma back to life."

"Yes, that's right! If we resurrect Enma we will really weaken Abbadon! We strip him from his power and then Chichi, Roshi and me gang up on him and beat him with numbers! That bastard won't see it coming! Hahahaha!" Hercule felt his confidence returning.

"You know, I can hear you planning if you shout like that." At the sound of Abbadon's shout Hercule whined and hid behind the hermit. Everyone else in the group released a collective and exasperated sigh.

"Abbadon killed almost the entire universe before Enma died; what makes you think we three can beat him if Enma is brought back?" Chichi replied sadly, too tired for even her to get angry. With all the things that had happened there wasn't much of a point to do it now.

"So that's it? There is no way we can beat him?" The world champion whispered sadly.

"There is a way to beat him but there is only one chance to do it." King Kai talked directly to their heads "Pan will be dead soon enough. If you ask to resurrect everyone who died because of Abbadon and his minions after Pan dies,we will have Pan, Uub and Buu to fight him, plus he will be weakened because Enma will be be alive and billions of souls would leave the otherworld. You just have to make time until them."

"That won't work" Abbadon shouted to them from the spot he was in, making Hercule jump of surprise "You see, my offer has a time limit. I am killing the green man once I feel Pan's ki banish. Even if you pull it off I will just run away and kill planets until I am strong enough again"

"What? How could…" King Kai stumbled with his words making Abbadon's smile widen.

"How could I, what? Hear you?" The destroyer chuckled "Second shadow Gilgamesh told me he could feel telepathy going on in the area. It took me a while to break into it, but I can hear you now. And since I know that plan, it won't work anymore. I have one question though, why didn't you ask this sooner? Had you resurrected everyone in the universe your warrior might have had a chance to kill me. Why wait until now if you knew the source of my power?"

It was quiet in the lookout as they waited for the kai to respond. When he did, he sounded drained, more than anyone they had ever heard before. "Goku didn't want us to. Had we asked the wish sooner, everyone who died in the crossfire would have died for good and the ones Gilgamesh killed would have died too. With all the fight happening on earth, he didn't want to risk the humans becoming extinct, neither any of the other races in the galaxy."

After hearing the explanation, the destroyer could only snort in amusement and soon he exploded into a fit of giggles "Hahaha, really, you guys are too much. Trying to save one planet and dooming everyone instead. My, what a blunder." He had to hold his stomach from the laughter and even had to wipe a few tears that fell from his eyes before he calmed down. "There is never a dull moment in this planet. But even as I said that, this is kind of a letdown. I actually expected to have a final challenge, a bonus stage so to speak but now thanks to that fool I am left empty handed."

"You monster, don't you dare insult Goku!" Puar shouted with all his might, grabbing the god's attention. "What is the point of us wishing if you are going to block any wish you don't like? You think this is a game? You meanie! Cheater!"

Abbadon's face darkened at the last word and Hercule, though shocked that the little blue cat had the guts to call the monster names, could only think they were now utterly screwed.

"Cheater, you call me?" Abbadon replied scathingly "Fine, have it your way. New rules people: you can ask any wish, if you do so before I kill you"

"WHAT?" The little cat shrieked.

"You are first." Abbadon's words sealed Puar's destiny. Laser like ki attacks struck him, burning the shape shifter to a crisp. The destroyer phased out of sight, only to reappear in front of a very surprised Chichi.

"Make a wish." Chichi opened her mouth to reply but what she wanted to say would never be known as Abbadon stabbed her in the throat with his right hand's middle and index finger. Blood left her body as she started convulsing, dying after a few seconds. This was enough time though for Roshi to recover his wits. As he saw the wife of his star student die in front of him, something broke inside of the old hermit. Releasing a roar of fury, the old man charged towards the murderer. Not even halfway there a ki blast cut him in half, the strength behind it enough to make his body parts bounce in the floor and fall out of the lookout.

"Shen Long, takes us…" Bulma started to wish but her voice was muffled when the destroyer put his hand on top of her mouth. Bra fell from the lookout when Abbadon raised the blue haired scientist in the air. Dende could save Bra from falling to her death by grabbing her hand but couldn't save her from the horror of seeing her mother being set on fire. Even with a hand covering her mouth Bra could hear her mother screaming from pain. Sickened, the earth's guardian tried to fly away to escape from the visage but was forced to stay when Abbadon put his feet on top of him and pushed him the floor.

Once Bulma's life ceased, the destroyer's focus shifted to the last living Brief. "Mmm… it takes awfully long to say you want to escape." He smirked while driving his foot harder into Dende's back. The last namekian grunted but endured the pain, refusing to let go of the girl's hand.

"So Bra… any last wish?"

"I wish Abbadon dies!" The girl screamed defiantly. Abbadon closed his eyes and shook his head, a knowing smile growing on his face. He remained silent, waiting for the dragon's response.

"I CAN'T GRANT THAT WISH. ASK FOR ANOTHER WISH."

"Tough luck." The god's feet left the guardian's back, only to crush his arm an instant after that. The young namekian's screams of pain were eclipsed only by Bra's howl as she fell to the abyss.

Videl's look alike turned around in order to see the last human on earth. Hercule had been trying for a while to subdue Abbadon by using punches, kicks and holds but he had still managed to kill everyone else while acting like he hadn't noticed.

"You bastard!" he cried while releasing a barrage of punches "You killed everyone!" Tears running down his face, Hercule could not see clearly anymore. He was swinging wildly, all finesse gone from his attack in a vain attempt to cause more damage. Abbadon smirked as he was engulfed in light. The god released his ki and the world champion was sent flying to the other end of the platform, his charred body lading harshly with a very loud thump.

"And that leaves the namekian" Abbadon muttered softly "It's been a fun ride but everything has end. One last kill, that is all it will take and I can finally shape reality."

"…cker!"

The god arched an eyebrow at the sound. With one swift jump he reached the world champion and landed on his legs, breaking them. The human let a scream of pain escape his throat and his tormentor hovered above him waiting for its end.

"You are one resilient guy, you know." Abbadon told him when Hercule's shout couldn't be heard anymore, only whimpers now. He scowled at the smell of burned flesh "How did you survive that anyways?"

The fighter wanted to cry, he wanted punch the one in front of him, to kill him, but he couldn't. His body wouldn't respond, wouldn't listen to his call. He knew his back was broken, his legs all but gone, his body to burned. He knew he should be dead. But yet, he wanted revenge.

"Dra'on…" He coughed blood while trying to speak, that alone made his body ache like it never did before "kill him".

"I CAN'T GRANT THAT WISH. ASK ANOTHER WISH"

"You know that won't work." Abbadon shook his head while speaking "Healing Pan is useless, she won't last a second against me now. Your best gambit was to resurrect everyone and its useless now! There is nobody to stop me!"

"There will," Satan answered while wheezing "Someone will stop you. You will… pay"

"No I won't." He deadpanned. He let out a sigh "I can't believe I am having this conversation." Abbadon's voice increased in volume to show how annoyed he felt.

"Listen! The strongest warriors are dead, everyone is, I made sure of that so stop deluding yourself! This is not a story where the hero comes and defeats me, there is none to begin with!"

"…will be…" Satan whispered but his words were lost. Abbadon though had heard him speak and was now curious about it.

"Will be what?"

"Then I wish to be a hero!" Hercule managed to say. Abbadon looked at him like he had grown a second head before smirking.

"I CAN'T GRANT THAT WISH. ASK FOR ANOTHER WISH."

"Well, I guess it was worth a try." The god mocked him in a sing-sing voice, which further enraged the champ.

"Why?" He shouted at the top of his lungs "Why won't you help?"

"You really are dense, aren't you" Abbadon scoffed at the question "Shen long! Please explain to this fool why he can't be a hero!"

"BECAUSE ONE IS NOT MADE A HERO, HE HAS TO BECOME ONE. A HERO INSPIRES THE PEOPLE. HE FIGHTS WHEN HE HAS TO AND WINS WHEN HE NEEDS TO. ONE IS NOT A HERO BECAUSE HE ASKED A MAGIC DRAGON, HE IS ONE BECAUSE HE MADE A DIFERENCE, HE STOOD UP AND DID AS HE MUST, WHEN HE HAD THE CHANCE. ONE CANNOT WISH TO BE HERO."

"See? Its impossible. How can you be a hero if you can't do anything? You didn't even have a chance to do anything against me!"

"Then… give a chance." With his strength spent in the last shout, his last words came of like a whisper. As everything turned black and his life left his body, he could barely hear the response coming from the dragon.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED."

A/N: First thing I want to say is that the following chapters will hopefully be way shorter than this one. This was a special case as the beginning of the story. Second I want to explain something: I know that there are warriors like Gohan, Goten, Trunks and Piccolo that were resurrected only with the namekian dragon balls. The same applies for most of earth's inhabitants. Technically, since the restriction on earth's dragon balls is that you can't ask for the same wish twice, they should be able to resurrect with the ones from earth as they were never wished back with those. However, in order to make the story more interesting, we will go with this rule: if someone was brought back with dragon balls, you can't do it again using the earthling ones. R&R!

OMAKE

"Dra'on…" Hercule coughed blood while trying to speak, that alone made his body ache like it never did before "kill him"

"I CAN'T GRANT THAT WISH. ASK ANOTHER WISH."

"You know that won't work" Abbadon shook his head while speaking "Healing Pan is useless, she won't last a second against me now. Your best gambit was to resurrect everyone and its useless now! There is nobody to stop me! This is not a story where the hero comes and defeats me, there is none to begin with!"

"…wanna be…" Satan whispered but his words were lost. Abbadon though had heard him speak and was now curious about it.

"Want to be what?"

"Then I want to be a hero!" Hercule managed to say. Abbadon looked at him like he had grown a second head before smirking.

"I CAN'T GRANT THAT WISH. ASK FOR ANOTHER WISH"

"Well, I guess it was worth a try" the god mocked him in a sing-sing voice, which further enraged the champ.

"Why?" He shouted at the top of his lungs "Why won't you help?"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE ALREADY A HERO. YOU KILLED CELL, REMEMBER?"

There was silence in the lookout as Hercule just stared at the dragon in disbelief. After a few seconds the champion released a sour chuckle.

"Yeah… I guess I am." He answered before dying. He just didn't have the heart to tell the dragon the truth.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT nor any of its characters and I earn no money from writing fanfiction about them

A/N: I know that I promised this chapter would be shorter but it wasn't meant to be.

Chapter 3: Before heroes

If one had to choose only one word to describe Hercule Satan –and phony was already taken- that word would have to be resilient. It was his resilience that made him able to withstand blows from some of the strongest beings in the universe and act as if nothing happened afterward. Of course that was only an act and a very painful one at that but it was still no easy feat even if none of said beings had really tried to kill him at the time. However, that had not been the case with the latest threat to earth; had he wanted to, it would still have been impossible for Hercule to pretend he was alright. As such, he found himself rolling in pain in the floor, pride and dignity either forsaken or buried deep beneath the agony and his screams.

He could feel that something had changed. It didn't escape his notice that he was being rather loud in is exclamations of pain whereas just a few seconds before he barely had enough breath left in him to mutter his last words or that now he could actually roll and curl in pain while his body should be too broken to attempt even that. None of it mattered. The aching was receding but it was still too much for him to open his eyes, to make sense of what happened or to feel anything but that.

Time passed, could have been minutes, could have been hours. Slowly, it receded, and the world champion could finally relax, his deep breaths now only interrupted by the occasional twitch of phantom pain. Hercule groaned as he opened his eyes, revealing the unfamiliar landscape around him. Instead of the ruins of Kami's lookout, he found himself on the verge of a cliff; by the noise of running water he could tell there was river at the bottom of it. Trees grew every six or so meters and even on the wall of the precipice. The sun was high on the sky showing it was past noon and momentarily blinding the champ. Uttering another groan, Hercule stood up, confused by the change.

"Where the heck am I?_" _He wondered. The last thing he remembered was being killed by Abbadon and then he appeared in this place. _"_This must be heaven then, but where is everyone else? Where is Videl and Chichi and Roshi and Bulma? Don't tell me everyone but me got sent to hell!_"_ Alarmed by this last thought, Satan tried to look into the distance but the trees covered everything in sight. He thought for a moment he saw a column of smoke rising far away in the sky but the thick leafs limited his field of vision, it might as well have been a very thin cloud.

"Why are the trees here so tall?" He asked aloud. Paying more attention to his surroundings, he found something a little more unsettling. "Come to it, why does everything seem so big?" Looking down he found out that the floor seemed to be closer than before. Satan frowned.

"Does dying make you smaller? Okay Hercule, there is no reason to freak out. I am sure you can figure this out" Slowly at first, Hercule used his now tiny hands to feel his body parts, checking for anything out of place, starting by his head. "Let's see… I am not bald any more, that is a good start. I'm as shaved as I can be. Not a hair in my chest, that's kind of weird. I have no abs, my arms are thinner…hemorrhoids are gone… WHAT THE HELL! WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO ME! THEY COULD HAVE LEFT THAT INTACT!" The champ howled to the sky, complaining of unfairness of the situation. He cursed for several minutes and even cried manly tears until, though still letting a sob escape every now and then, he felt like he could continue his mental check. "Okay, I'm calm now." He said between deep breaths, his hands still shaking "I'm indeed closer to the ground. Legs are thinner, it seems about *sob* _everything_ is smaller. Legs and arms lost hair. Hey! I can touch my toes now! Arthritis is also gone, voice has changed…"

For a few seconds, Satan stood there in silence, considering all those facts. Slowly he started to connect the dots inside his head and after a few moments he came to the conclusion that he, indeed, had no idea what was going on.

"If I didn't know any better I would say that I am younger than before but since when has dying made someone younger?" Satan thought bewildered. Granted, he had never heard that it didn't make you younger but it was still something to consider. "How do I know this isn't a dream or that the whole Abbadon thing wasn't a dream and this how it continues? By that standard, how do I know everything that happened wasn't a dream?" These thoughts plagued Hercule head at the moment. He had been in situations like this before and he had tested his theories by seeing if he could fly but past experiences and a quick glance to the cliff beside him convinced him that there must be other way to test it. He didn't even know if he was dead or alive but he wasn't willing to risk it in case he was still alive as slim as that chance was.

"There must be a way to tell if I am dead without dying in the process. I should have asked the others when they came to fight Abbadon." He thought, remembering how earth's warriors had come from the afterlife to defend it. Immediately after the memory came to him, Hercule felt like slapping himself; instead, he checked the space above his hair to confirm that he had no halo. He was, then, either alive, or dreaming and still reluctant to try flying. This left him with only one path to take.

Hercule closed in to one of the trees, took a deep breath and hit it with all his strength. The chibified champ studied his hand with academic interest as it turned red and swelled. Nodding his head, Hercule came to the conclusion that, since he couldn't feel excruciating pain in a dream, this had to be reality.

All around the forest, different kinds of animals lifted their heads in interest as a high pitched wail echoed in the area.

In retrospective, there should have been an easier way to test it.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Hercule dreamed.

The landscape kept changing. Now he was in the mountains. Now in the jungle. The desert. The beach. The ocean. The change was fast, for he couldn't tell when it happened. It was slow, for he couldn't tell it was happening. Time didn't exist, for it never does in a dream.

He was in a house and it lacked light. Looking through a window to the wasteland outside, he could see no sun. It was either the moment after dusk or the one before dawn.

Hercule kept walking, he could tell where the holes in the wooden floor were and he never stepped on one. He couldn't see them but he knew they were filled with water. It _had _to be water. The basement would be flooded and that would have damaged the base of the house, it would explain why the floor was inclined. Slowly but surely, the house was sinking.

He ignored the doors to his left, whether they were open or not. Nothing they held was of interest. He could hear growls and scratches from behind them, probably from a dinosaur or a lion. It didn't bother Satan since he knew they couldn't hurt him. They were extinct, Abbadon had seen to it.

He reached a large door at the end of the hallway. Placing his hand on it- an adult's hand, he noted- he pushed it open and entered the room behind it.

The room was darker than the rest of the house, the only illumination, little as it was, came from tiny holes in the ceiling. There were no windows, no exit but the door at his back. It was also colder and Hercule shivered; his clothes were wet from the humidity in the previous rooms, which didn't help him at all in his situation.

From the corner of his eye Hercule saw movement to his right. Turning in that direction, he narrowed his eyes and let them get accustomed to the darkness. He could see now the form of a person, facing the corner of the room while sitting in fetal position. Now that he was paying attention, he could also hear a faint sobbing coming from that direction.

"Who's there?" The champion shouted to the person but the only answer was more sobbing. Growing concerned, he walked to the person and placed his hand on her shoulder. "What happened to you? Why are you crying?"

"I am not crying! *sob* Leave me alone!" A familiar child's voice answered his question. Hercule froze in place. Slowly, the girl's features became visible and with each one of them he felt his heart turn heavier.

"Videl?" The man's voice cracked at the end, being overcome by emotion. She didn't look older than ten but she was, without a doubt, her. His eyes swelled with tears and he wanted to hug her more than anything he ever wanted, yet he felt rooted in place. "Please sweetie, it kills me to see you like this. Tell me what happened"

"You *sob* _you let me die_!" She answered and for Hercule it was as if someone had punched him in the gut. He felt like he couldn't breathe. "Why would you _do that_?"

"Honey, I didn't meant to." He said, desperate for her to believe him "I tried but I couldn't stop them"

"Liar!" The outburst was so sudden that Hercule found himself releasing his daughter's shoulder. "When mom died you said you would protect me; that you were the strongest and nothing bad would hurt me anymore." She inhaled deeply, willing herself to continue and when she did, it was only a whisper. "But you let me die twice"

He couldn't take it anymore. He moved closer and pulled her in an embrace but his arms wrapped only around air.

She was gone. Hercule didn't know how much time he spent kneeling in that corner, too shocked to do anything but shiver. And he thought that he would remain like that, that nothing would pull him off this trance, yet he reacted to a sound behind him.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Someone was applauding. He turned around and in a throne that wasn't there before he saw her. No. It wasn't her. It was _him_. Abbadon just smiled at him from his seating position and lowered his hands to caress Pan's cheek, who was sleeping on his lap. He shot the champ a look of amusement and winked at him, at the same time that he licked his lips.

Satan lunged at the deity but he found that he couldn't move anymore. Looking down, hundreds of hands of as many corpses held him in place, everyone he ever met were pulling him down, sinking him in the floor as if it was quicksand instead, until only his head was left.

Hercule couldn't stop himself. He screamed.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

When the champ woke up, he was breathing heavily and the blankets that covered him were drenched in sweat. He blinked a few times, blinded by the brightness of the room. He was in an unknown bed with no recollection of how he got there. At first, he thought this was a continuation of the nightmare but the warm of the covers and the sunlight that came from a nearby window felt real to him. Somehow he knew he was awake.

He groaned as he sat up on the bed, still drowsy from his sleep. Rubbing his eyes as he did it, Hercule examined his surroundings. He was in a room with round edges, laying on a bed next to a window and he roughly guessed it was shortly after sunrise. There was little furniture in the room, just a few chairs and a closet. A black haired toddler dressed in red pajamas was playing in the floor and Hercule could hear voices in the background, arguing in another room of the house.

The champ cleared his throat loudly to attract the child's attention but it shielded no results. He tried again a second and a third time, having similar outcomes. By that time Hercule was, of course, getting angry. The kid was the first living person he saw since the attack to the lookout yet the brat appeared to be dead set on ignoring him. Didn't he know who he was? Surely he deserved some measure of respect.

Hercule opened his mouth, determined to give the kid a piece of his mind when the door creaked open and a large black haired man in blue overall came into the room. He looked startled when he saw Satan was awake but soon he calmed down.

"Good to see you are awake. You were asleep the last couple of days" He told Satan "You were lucky we found you. You were unconscious by the riverside and may have died if we didn't. You had a high fever too" As he said this, the man took a canteen and handed it to him. Only then did Hercule realize how thirsty he felt and soon he was downing its contents. He finished rather quickly and then addressed the man.

"So where am I anyways? Did you find any of the others? How did you survive? Is it safe here?" Hercule shot many questions in rapid succession, hoping to finally get some answer. Instead, the man looked at him in confusion before answering.

"You are in a farm a few hours north of Aru Village. And did you say others? You were alone when we found you and it looked like you had walked quite a distance. What happened to you, anyways? Look, if you ran away from home then I am sure you can talk it out with your guardians or something…" His host trailed of but Hercule cut him off.

"Ran away? No! We were attacked by that monster near the land of Korin and…"

"Korin? You came walking from Korin?" The man's eyes widened "That place is like, really far away! And the road is full of monsters and assailants too. You must be really strong to have made it this far"

"Strong? Ha! Don't you know who am I?"

"No, not really. Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Boobba Priest, pleased to meet you. The rascal over there is my son Ivan" The man corrected his mistake and bowed. Hercule smirked at him.

"You bet you are pleased to meet me! For you see, I am no other than the one and only Hercule Satan!" He stated, waiting for the man to fawn over him like so many other did before. His reaction was not quite what he expected though as Boobba and his child, who no longer pretended he wasn't listening, kept staring at him with blank faces.

"I am sorry, I can't say I ever heard of you" Boobba replied and his son nodded his head beside him.

"That you never… come on! I am Mr. Satan. I am the legendary invincible champion, the man who defeated the monster Cell and saved the world when he did it. I am the greatest fighter in the history of ever! Have you been living under a rock the last couple of decades?"

"No, I've been living here. And did you say Cell? Doesn't ring a bell"

"Maybe you were too young to remember. It was about…" Hercule did the mental math "Thirty years ago or something like that"

"Right. You saved the world. Thirty years ago or something like that." Boobba's face showed irritation.

"Look, you don't have to lie to impress us. If you don't want to talk about it just say so, but don't treat us as if we are stupid, since you obviously were not even born thirty years or so ago."

"But I am telling the truth! See, I may look like this now but I am actually fifty nine years old" He explained. Boobba still seemed skeptical though.

"Well, if that is true you have really aged well" He said as he walked to the closet and opened it. There was a mirror on the inside and Hercule could finally see a reflection of himself. He had to admit he did look young. His hair was a small afro instead of the bald spot it had been the last couple of years, there was no facial hair whatsoever and he couldn't be taller than 1.4 meters. His skin was smooth and he had lost all the wrinkles he sported not a week before. He was also wearing a big nightgown that it was likely belonged to the man before him. He wasn't particularly thin or fat and he had to admit that if a child like that had told him he was on his fifties he wouldn't believe him either.

"I am still telling the truth. I don't know why I look like this but I was born in age 736" he tried to explain. The man closed his eyes as if thinking hard and then began to nod his head.

"Mmm… I think I know now why you look like this." Boobba began saying and Hercule leaned closer to listen. "It is actually quite common around these parts"

"Well, what is it?" Hercule began to lose his patience "Spit it out. Why do I look like a brat?"

"Well truth is…" Boobba trailed off, building suspense "…you really are a brat"

"Uh? What was that?" Hercule asked feeling confused.

"You are a brat" Boobba replied bluntly. Hercule blinked a few times, considering this statement before correcting his host.

"No, I am not" He said, irritated because this man didn't believe him "I just told you I was born in age 736"

"And I heard you. But we are in age 749, which means you are brat." He walked over and sat on the bed before addressing him again "Look, you probably suffered isolation for being so much time outside. As I said, it is quite common around here and it's ok to be confused. But you have to believe me, you are not fifty nine, you are thirteen." Boobba said slowly, explaining as he would to a little kid. Of course, Hercule was not a kid, at least not on his mind, so could understand the situation without all the gestures and baby talk that Boobba now seemed set on performing.

"I see" The gears in his mind started to turn as he realized what was going on. "This man has gone senile. And at such a young age too, poor fellow. That won't do though. Abbadon could be anywhere and I have to find the others. Most of them are dead but Dende was alive when I…died?" Well, he wasn't really sure how to refer to what happened to him but he was pretty sure he was still alive so to say he died didn't seem right. "Anyways, he was still alive so maybe he is also around here. I have to find him and make sure that the dragonballs remain active. That is the most I can do for now"

"Look, Boobba…hey! Snap of it, will you?" He said, interrupting his host's speech. "I'm fine now, so I will be on my way. Thank you for your help, I'll send a check or something when everything is back to normal. Never say that Mr. Satan isn't a generous man! But I really need to leave so good luck and see you later"

"You can't leave" The farmer said. "You are still weak from the insolation and there are monsters in the area. It isn't safe"

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much" Hercule growled back and hopped to his feet, ready to go. Boobba tried to stop him by grabbing his arm, but one swift twist of his wrist and the champ not only had freed himself but had grabbed the farmer by his wrist and forced him into submission. Hercule felt his lips curl into a smirk when he saw the face the farmer made. He still had it. He hadn't made a lock in ten years or so but he still had it. "Look, I appreciate your concern but I am still a martial artist. The best, as a matter of fact" And he was, on his mind. "So don't sweat it. No monster out there is a threat for Mr. Satan!" Aliens and mystical beings excluded.

Hercule released the man and walked towards the door. Or he tried to at least, since he felt someone tugging his clothes and stopping him from going further. Hercule turned around and gave the farmer his most threatening glare but instead of having the desired effect (that is, sending the man scrambling in fear), Boobba was barely affected. Instead, he was looking at the champion as if it was the first time he saw him.

"I believe you." Boobba said after a few seconds, releasing his hold "I will give you a ride to a nearby town if you really have to leave. But first, let's have breakfast" He gave Satan a one over "And let's find you some pants"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"Hey, do you have beer or something somewhere in this thing?"

"No. And you are thirteen, you are too young for that, anyway!"

"No, I already explained… you know what? Never mind" Hercule released a resigned sigh as he leaned his head back on his seat. The day was hot, and even more so inside of Boobba's truck. Hercule had doubts at first whether he should let the obviously senile man drive but he had lost them after the first few minutes. Truth was, Boobba's car was so slow that even if the man were to crash it they would probably remain unscathed. This also meant that, even with his seat window wide open, Hercule would not have the comfort of the wind on his face to battle the heat. And his attire didn't make things easier for him.

It turned out that the champion's old clothes were too big for his now childlike body so had had to trade them for some of his host's old ones. He was given blue overalls, a square pattern red shirt and a black cowboy hat to avoid further damage from the sun, as the farmer had put it. The man had also been kind enough to gift him one old tattered poncho in order to battle the cold at night. It had previously served as a mantle for the man's dog to sleep but luckily it didn't have too many piss marks on it.

After being fully equipped, Hercule had breakfast with Boobba and his son and wife. He had eaten the bacon and eggs voraciously, all the while telling them with full details his exploits as a martial artist, much to the delight of the toddler, who enjoyed the stories. Boobba's wife, a rather plump woman called Venus, had been rather skeptical about the stories but he hadn't eaten for days and she kept the food coming in so Hercule did his best to ignore her. Boobba shared his son's interest in the stories and he often asked questions concerning his fights.

When they were all done eating, Boobba had taken him outside and told him to get in the truck. That had been hours ago and even though he had been excited to find out that there was a whole village of survivors, every attempt to learn about how they survived had proven fruitless. The man was just too senile to even acknowledge the end of the world. Talk about sad.

Despite his failed attempts to learn about how they survived the apocalypse Hercule couldn't say he didn't enjoy the trip. For hours he had been telling Boobba about his several feats as a martial artist and the man had been appropriately awed of all his stories, often expressing how lucky he was to meet him. But, even though Hercule could talk for days to an end about himself, his throat had run dry due to lack of drinks in the car. As such, the last half hour had been spent on comfortable silence among the two of them.

"We are almost at the village." Commented the driver. "We just have to get pass that hill and you'll be able to see it. My brother Sherman and his daughter live there, I bet they would love to meet you. It is not often that a skilled martial artist comes to these lands."

"Not just a skilled one but the best there is!" Hercule laughed "I might even sign some autographs since I am there"

"Yeah, I'm sure they would love that" The man laughed distractedly "You could even make a demonstration, I think the whole town would gather to see it"

"Of course they would! It is not often they see a being as great as myself, it's a historic event for the village. I guess I can break a few tiles, make a few demonstrations. I will put an entire show to help the morale, it's the least I could do in these difficult times, besides bringing justice to this world. I can't stay long though; I have to start looking for my friend"

"It won't take long, I am sure" Boobba said, laughing again, nervously this time as the truck took the hill. He waited a few seconds before continuing. "Hey, you know what could be a great demonstration?"

"Of course I do, I live for these things" Hercule shot back "But what did you have in mind, anyways?"

"Nothing much" The man said casually "Just that there is a monster terrorizing the village and it would be nice if you slayed it."

"Say what?" Mr. Satan's voice wavered as he spoke but Boobba didn't notice. He didn't really have a good track record with monsters.

"A terrible shape shifting monster" He said more vehemently "It's been kidnapping girls from the village. He says he wants to marry them but they are never seen again. We think the monster marries the girl but kills her if she displeases him in any way and then he returns to kidnap another one"

"A-and you want me to…"

"I want you to kill him." His tone grew more serious and Hercule saw Boobba's knuckles go white as he tightened his grip on the wheel. "I know you are a great martial artist, I saw it myself this morning. And now you are our only hope."

"O-of course! I would gladly slay that monster but…" Hercule racked his brain for a suitable excuse. It's not that he didn't trust his own skill but when he thought of shape shifting monsters, Abbadon and Buu when he was evil came to mind. He knew he was way out of his league. "…but I can't really fight him in my state, you see. I am still weak from the illness so I can't use my full strength. If I did though, he wouldn't last a second to me but as we stand…"

"Don't worry about that." Boobba grimaced "You said you beat this monster called Cell and that he was a threat to the world. This monster sounds far weaker so I think that even injured or ill you would stand a chance to beat it. Haha! That monster won't even know what hit him!"

"Right." So the monster was weaker than Cell. That didn't really guarantee anything "I am sure I can beat it but I don't know if I have the time to look for that monster. I need to find my friends after all so I might leave as soon as we get there"

"You won't have to look for it" Boobba said very proud of himself "I have calculated it perfectly. The monster will come today to get the next girl, my niece, as a matter of fact." The man punched the wheel hard as he said it "He said he would come for her at noon. So we should get there just in time for you to face him. It won't take long"

"Right but…" Hercule tried desperately to find a way out of the situation. "But you didn't ask me, you just assumed I would do it. Why should I help someone who tricked me?" Hercule held to his reasoning, a silver line to keep him out of the fight. Boobba, on the other hand, was left with his mouth wide open, stunned at the turn of events. It didn't take long for him to recover.

"Please!" The man shouted as he bowed before Satan "I beg you! Please save my niece!"

Hercule shifted uncomfortably on his seat. On one hand, he didn't want to face a monster that, by the sound of it, could kill him without breaking a sweat. On the other hand, if he didn't accept then his name would be tarnished. That and it didn't feel right to say no to a bowing man, especially when said man was supposed to be driving instead. And the car seemed to move _way faster _than before, probably because they were now going downhill. The hero jumped from his seat to grab the wheel, trying to put the car back on track. Though he had plenty of experience driving fast cars, he had never done it from shotgun seat.

When he saw one of the trees next to the road pass by them in a blur, Hercule made his decision.

"Okay, I'll help you! Look at the road, now!" Hercule shouted to the bowing man. He didn't expect Boobba would hug him, so between their imminent deaths on a crash as he was forced to let go of the wheel and his imminent death because of the bone crushing embrace he received, Hercule felt he was entitled to scream in fear. So he did.

Right before death seemed inevitable, Boobba's right hand shot and grabbed the wheel, expertly maneuvering the car though the curve in the road at the bottom of the hill. As he pulled his feet out of the accelerator and the car slowed to its normal speed, Boobba smiled to the child-like fighter.

"Thanks. This is as far as I take you, though; the village is over there." He told Hercule as he pulled the car to a stop and signaled with his arm to a village close by. Even from his spot the martial artist could see the top of the dome shaped houses over the wooden fence that surrounded them. He could also see the top of several trees that no doubt were all around the village.

"What the hell? You won't even come with me?"

"I would but…" The farmer showed a pained expression "I am easily impressionable and all the blood that would come in the battle… no, it is better if I stay here."

"For what is worth, I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just couldn't take any chances and I was afraid you would say no to help us" Boobba said, his face showing how sorry he was.

"It's ok. We do really crazy things for our families." The champion reassured the man while inwardly placing him on his black list. "You could have told me from the start though" Because that way he could have thought of a better excuse. The nerve of the man to have set him up like that.

"Thank you, Herucule, I know that now. You're a better man than most!" The farmer smiled at him while giving him a thumbs up. Hercule returned the gesture rather reluctantly and he started his walk to the village, his senses trained to feel for danger. Every now and then he turned his head to see if the farmer had left already. Every time he did, he received a wave in return. Damn it.

It wasn't until Hercule reached the village's entrance that the farmer was out of his sight. He released a sigh of relief, and quickly looked around for a way the escape before the monsters got there. What he saw was not was he expected.

To Hercule's astonishment, a giant bull exited the village and hid behind the fence. With a poof, a cloud of smoke covered the animal, leaving a tiny pig in army clothes on its place once dispersed. Not a second afterward, a very familiar kid passed through the gates, exchanged a few words with the pig and ran away.

"Wheeeee! A moment later and my true form would be revealed…If everyone knew that Oolong-sama's true form was this cute little piggy here, they would all look down on me." Said the pig, smiling smugly as he did so. Until he saw Hercule staring at him, that is.

Now, Hercule couldn't say he recognized it immediately, but there was something about the way its eyes were bulging and how his skin was turning paler that made the animal awfully familiar to him. And there was only one pig he personally knew. "Oolong?" He asked, his eyes bursting with tears and his chest swelling with hope.

To Oolong's credit, he had often considered what would happen if he was ever discovered. He often went to sleep at night wondering if he would be lynched by the people he scammed or if they would just hang him. He had been very careful in his business, very aware of the terrible fate that could await him. Never had he imagined the one to bust him to be a boy, least of all one with such longing on his eyes. Those eyes spoke of horrors yet to be seen.

The pig shrieked and attempted to run away, but the champion proved to be faster, grabbing it on a bone crushing hug that left it gasping for air. "Oh my god, Oolong, you're alive! And you're so young. too!" Hercule cried of happiness as the animal struggled to free itself. "I missed you so much, I thought you were dead for sure and I was scared and Abbadon came for everyone and I love little piggy, I love you so much!" This and many other things came out of Hercule's mouth, probably to continue for a while had the sudden stillness of the one he hugged not attracted his attention. Looking down, he became aware of the unnatural purple tone of the pig's skin and how he didn't seem to be awake. He had choked him into unconsciousness.

"Haha, I guess I don't know my own strength." He laughed nervously as he released his hold on his newfound friend and placed him over his shoulder, walking through the village's gate in order to find some help. As he had seen from the distance, the houses were shaped as domes and there were many trees all around it. The streets were paved with stone and he could see some old cars here and there but not on every house. He could see no people on the streets but the windows of the houses closed quickly whenever he gazed their way. There were people on this village and they were watching him.

He walked until he reached the center of the village. Looking around, he noticed that one of the doors had a hole right where the handle was supposed to be and the words "Sherman Priest" were written on it.

"Hello?" He shouted as he walked towards the door. "I am looking for the Priest family. Is anyone home?" He called while knocking the door but nobody answered. Curious, he decided to spy through the hole, only to catch a metallic gleam coming from it.

Trusting instincts he didn't even know he had, Hercule sidestepped right before the rifle fired, barely dodging the bullet. He ran and jumped, sliding over the front of a nearby truck and taking cover behind it, all the while carrying an unconscious pig over his shoulders. Not too shabby if he had to say it himself.

Hercule felt his heart beating faster than it had in years and he was already out of breath; this younger body of his was not used to this kind of stress. Though he remembered being quite athletic in his youth, his body was still the one of a child.

"What the hell are you doing!" Satan shouted over his shoulder. Taking a peek from behind the vehicle he could see most of the rifle coming out of the hole, trying to get a better aim.

"You won't take my daughter, you monster!" Came the stuttering reply from the house. Hercule cursed, the man didn't sound like he was on his right state of mind. It looked like fear had overcome him.

"I'm not a monster you moron! Your brother sent me here and I knocked this guy out. I wanted to see if you could care for him until he wakes up!"

Hercule heard people whispering behind the door on the eerie silence of the village but he couldn't make what was being said. The shouted reply came after a few seconds "Prove it! What is the name of my brother?"

"Your brother's name is Boobba and he lives in a farm five hours away from here with his wife Venus and his son Ivan. And he really needs a faster car! One with A/C!" He hastily replied. Slowly, the door of the house opened to reveal a middle aged man with black mustache, the same color of the wild patches of hair at the sides of his bald head. He wore circular glasses and a grey overall over a striped shirt. The man lowered his rifle, which he had taken outside with him and walked closer to take a better look at Hercule.

"Were you really sent by my brother?" He asked as Satan left his cover. The champion felt like giving a sarcastic reply but given the fact that the man was still holding the gun he just nodded in response.

"You really should think before you act, that is the second kid you attack today!" A girl commented while she also left the house. Now that it was apparent that he was just some random traveler a lot of the townsfolk were leaving their houses to take a better look at him but Hercule only had eyes for the girl who talked before. She had bluish shoulder length hair and wore brown shorts and a white t-shirt with a grey jacket over it. And he knew who she was.

"Bra!" Hercule shouted while pointing at her in surprise. The girl beeped and quickly covered her chest, blushing heavily as she did so and giving him an angry glare.

"Pervert! Is that any way to treat a lady?"

"Pervert? What's with the name calling?" Hercule thought in confusion. True, they weren't exactly close but they weren't on bad terms either. "It's probably all the stress, she must still be hysterical with all that death and end of the world business"

"Oh, come on, don't be like that! Don't be a stranger and give me hug, I know we both need one after all that happened" He said while smiling, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay but when he advanced a few steps to comfort her, she backed away as many as he did.

"Look, I don't know who you are or what are you talking about but stay away! I happen to be traveling with a very strong guy and he will pound you if you try anything funny!"

"It's not like that!" He angrily replied, unable to understand why she treated him like a stranger. She was only making things worse and now the villagers were giving him disgusted looks. Wait, had that guy over there just stepped in front of his daughter to protect her? The nerve of them, treating him like a dangerous pervert! Didn't they know who he was? Then it clicked. "Oh, I know! You act like that because I look different! I am Hercule Satan and I know I look like a kid but I am still the man you know and love so there! No reason to be afraid of me! Hahaha!" He laughed merrily, missing how even more people were now hiding the village's fair maidens.

"That's it! When Goku gets here I swear that…"

"Hey, it seems that that guy ran away" Came a child's voice from the side and a small kid with spiky black hair came into view. According to what Bra had just said, the kid should be Goku and he did look like him, though if they hadn't told him he was, he would have mistaken him for Goten. Goku looked just like his son did so many years before when Hercule first meet him; down to the orange fighting gi he wore, only smaller.

"Goku! You are alive!" Hercule gave the kid a one armed hug as a smile crept to his face, the previous argument with Bra forgotten. At this rate they would find the whole gang before long.

For his part, Goku stood there, confused that this guy would suddenly embrace him. He looked at Bra in puzzlement, only to have his stare returned to him by the girl. "Son, is this a friend of yours?"

"I don't know, I've never meet him before" He answered while taking Hercule's arm from his neck and taking a closer look to his face, sniffing him all the while.

"That we never meet? Goku, it's me, Hercule! Hercule Satan!" He repeated to clarify. The boy squinted and stroked his chin, deep in thought. Hercule held his breath when he saw Goku's face suddenly lit up and a smile crept to his face. When he saw the sparkle in the boy's eyes, he thought he was finally recognized.

But then Goku patted his crotch.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The champion jumped, almost flew out of reach of the boy while howling his question. It didn't face Goku, who just pointed at him and laughed.

"You are a boy!" He exclaimed a little too happy for the champion's peace of mind. His already little patience had just run out.

"Of course I am a boy! Why the hell do you pat me there?"

"Well, turns out that while boys have balls and dick but girls don't have them, so if you pat a person there you can tell if they are a boy or a girl" He explained. Hercule had to admit that it was certainly true, but he didn't have to like it, and he never had to pat someone so…

"Wait!" Hercule exclaimed, interrupting that train of thought. "You can't tell without touching there?" He exclaimed in horror, unaware of that particular flaw on his friend. And this man was the father of his son in law!

"No, I can't" Goku answered as if there was nothing wrong with it. "That's why I touch people there"

"And couldn't you ask? That also works most of the time"

"I guess I could but isn't that rude?"

"MOLESTING PEOPLE IS RUDER!" The girl shouted exasperated, interrupting the kids' debate. "Seriously Son, next time you want to know someone gender ask them!" She clarified, looking the kid to eye to make sure he understood.

"But Bulma…" Goku started to protest but stopped when Hercule put a hand on his shoulder.

"Goku… don't. Next time you want to know if someone is a boy or a girl, ask them. It will save you trouble" He told the saiyan with a serious face. Then he turned to the girl. "Bulma! I am sorry, I thought you were Bra, you look so similar! And you look so young too! Give me a hug!" He left the pig in the floor and opened his arms wide as walked towards her, only to find the end of a gun pointing to his eyes.

"Don't even think about it." She muttered as she gritted her teeth. "Who do you think you are, to act so familiar with me? You're not even hot!"

"What!" Hercule yelled, offended by the remark "It's me, Hercule Satan! Satan as in Videl Satan? Gohan's wife? Does that ring a bell?" He asked, getting really exasperated with the whole 'I don't know you' business.

"Gohan?" Goku suddenly shouted, leaning closer to Hercule "You knew my grampa Gohan?"

"No, I know your son, Gohan"

"No, I am Goku. My grampa was called Gohan"

"So is your son."

"Yes, I am Son, but my name is Goku, not Gohan."

" Yeah, I know that but…"

"Enough!" Bulma's yell startled them. "Look, I don't know who you think we are but you are clearly mistaken. Son here is way too young to be a father, much less of one who is married"

"Oh, come on, don't bring me that crap. We've known each other for what, twenty years?" Hercule said, his anger resurfacing. That she was giving him a look of disgust didn't help his mood, especially since the villagers tended to side with her.

"We don't know each other! I wasn't even born twenty years ago!"

Hercule snorted. "Yeah, right. I know women like to lie about their age but you can't be _that_ false. You are obviously in your sixties"

"I'm _what_?" Bulma hissed to him and the people around her started to back away. It suddenly hit Satan that talking about a woman's age was not a bright idea. He raised his hands in a placating manner and moved them up and down very slowly, coming a little closer to explain. At any other time, those actions would be considered the rational thing to do. So little after being called a pervert, however, it is not advised for a man to move his hand weirdly, especially if said movements are in the general direction of a girl's chest area. It's not surprise then, that Hercule's gesture of peace only got him a punch on the face.

"Ow! What was that for?" Hercule asked her while holding his injured nose.

"You know why! And I am sixteen by the way!" She said, crossing her arms in front of herself and glaring at the boy.

"That's impossible! For you to be sixteen you would have to be born in…" He started growling at her but was swiftly interrupted.

"In age 733! Which I did!" She shouted at him. Hercule blinked a few times, waiting for someone to correct her. It didn't happen. They were just looking at him. He felt his stomach sinking, remembering what Boobba had told him earlier.

"B-but for you to be sixteen, the year would have to be…"

"Age 749" She said flatly. He looked around and saw several heads nodding at him. He turned pale. This couldn't be real. He couldn't be back. But if he wasn't, then everyone was mad! Maybe he was the crazy one, but was this an illusion? He felt pain but that told him nothing now. Was everything that had happened to him a hallucination? No, he remembered several years of his life. Maybe he lived all those years crazy? But that wouldn't explain why he was young or why did he know Bulma and Goku. And that would mean Videl and Pan weren't real, which he refused to believe. And everyone was so young too; he didn't know how to explain that.

Unless he had traveled back in time.

He sat on the floor, overwhelmed by the possibility and stayed quiet for a while. The people around him, gathering that he wouldn't bother them for a while, went back to discuss more pressing matters, namely, the monster.

"So, did you catch him?" Bulma asked her partner. Goku shook his head.

"No, he must have transformed into a bird and escaped. I guess he really had something else to do."

"I don't think so. Why would he schedule the kidnapping for today if he did?" She asked, finding the whole ordeal odd.

"He probably forgot about it yesterday and remembered just now" Sherman jumped onto the conversation. "Not that I mind, as long as my daughter is with me"

"Yeah but that by itself is weird. Even if he was in a hurry he would have stayed enough to take her, since only a kid opposed him. As strong as Son is, he only looks like a kid" She reasoned.

"Maybe he's super weak." Goku piped in "He didn't seem that strong, all he did was transform."

Everyone looked at Goku, startled by the statement. Was it really that simple? Was Oolong really weak?

"That can't be right. If he was weak, we wouldn't be that scared. He wouldn't have threatened the village either." Sherman reasoned hesitantly, unsure of what he said.

"It is something to consider." An old lady from the crowd said. "I don't think we ever saw him fight, we were too afraid to oppose him."

"Wait, so you never fought him? You just handed him the girls without even trying?" Bulma asked the crowd and her eyes began to widen when nobody could meet her eyes. "Unbelievable" she huffed.

"Anyways" Sherman coughed to bring their attention. "Even if he is weak, he still took the other girls so we have to figure out where to find Oolong"

"Oolong? He is sleeping over there" The answer came from an unexpected source. Everyone's attention turned to Hercule, who was still deep in thought.

"What did you say?" Sherman asked him, shocked. Upon being addressed, Hercule snapped out of his confusion to find everyone in the village looking straight at him.

"What?" He asked, still a little distracted.

"What did you say about Oolong?" A random man repeated.

"I said he is sleeping over there. I knocked him out before coming in, I thought he would be awake by now" Hercule laughed nervously as he said it, embarrassed of his action. He stood and walked to the unconscious pig, everyone's eyes trained on him. He picked up and shook the animal. "Hey Oolong, wake up! Some people want to talk to you!"

Oolong groaned and his eyes opened taking in his surrounding with difficulty as the shaking was making him dizzy. "What the, who, wait, I am awake, I am awake!" He shouted, making Hercule stop.

"Hey Oolong, this people want to talk to you, something about… what did you say this was about again?" Hercule asked the crowd.

"Missing girls." Someone grunted.

"Oh yeah, you had a problem with kidnappings!" Hercule yelled, surprised he had forgotten. "So, Oolong, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" He asked his friend, who visibly paled and gulped at the question. He started to mutter, stuttering badly while he tried to explain himself.

"Well, I mean, you know, BYE!" He shouted at the end and after a loud bomb he transformed into a bat. Taking advantage of the smoke that came with every transformation, he tried to escape unnoticed. He didn't count on Hercule maintaining his grip on him though, who was looking quite startled at the sudden transformation.

Oolong cursed and transformed again, this time to a wasp. He was small enough to leave the champion's hold and made a fly for freedom, only to find two hands closing around him.

"Caught you!" Goku shouted triumphal but his success was short lived. Upon finding himself surrounded by the kid's hands, Oolong acted like the animal which form he had taken and stung the boy in the offending limp. Goku shouted in surprise and let go of the shape shifter, who flew rather disoriented in the direction Satan's head was in. Acting by instinct, Hercule did what he always did to insects, swatting the wasp to the floor and steeping on it harshly. Another cloud of smoke and there was the pig, trapped under the champion's foot.

"Is there something you want to say?" Bulma asked, one of her eyebrows arched.

"Sorry."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

After a quick apology from Oolong and several reassurances that the kidnapped girls were ok, the whole village left for the pig's house in order to retrieve them. On the way there, the caravan ran into Boobba who, after the situation was explained to him, felt rather smug since he was the one who sent their savior to the village, a fact he would repeat to everyone who would listen. A lot of the townsfolk humored him since, even if Hercule was seen as a pervert, he had also "saved" the village; as Hercule was not expected to stay around those parts they had decided to focus on the good aspects of his visit and ignore the more unpleasant ones. After all, lots of fables would probably be born from the whole experience and it wouldn't do for the hero of those stories to set a bad example for the kids. They were keeping an eye on him though, just in case.

Hercule, for his part, was doing what he did best. He boasted and laughed, he gave autographs, threw victory signs left and right, he kissed some children (which, for some reason, was not very well received) and told everyone he met that they were the best public he ever had. These were all small things that he could do and often did even on his sleep but his heart was not really into it, not this time anyways. Things equally important were on his mind and he had to sort them out first.

What if he really had traveled back in time? Did he have to do everything again, survive against Cell, Buu, Kuriza and Abbadon? Yes, he had to admit his part was not that big in any of those fights and it would be several years before the world was in danger but the mere thought of it still made a knot on his stomach. The fact that they had not survived Abbadon was not encouraging either. Life started to lose meaning if you knew your race would be gone in less than fifty years.

Maybe he could avoid that. Could he even change the past? Wait, should he call it the future now or did it still count as the past? Since things had yet to happen he may as well be changing the future but he clearly remembered they happened so they were in the past. Come to think of it, was he on the past or the present?

Hercule shook his head; that was not what he should be focusing about. He was in the past for now, semantics be dammed, he didn't have time for them. Now, did he change history or did he leave it be? He had to stop Abbadon at the very least, that was for sure. Maybe this was a second chance, he thought. Maybe he was supposed to be the one to save the world this time…

What the hell was he thinking? That was way out of his league! He should just tell Goku and the others and let them do the world saving, they had, after all, forty odd years to prepare. Surely they could handle it if warned beforehand.

With that out of the way, Hercule could finally focus on his fans. He enjoyed the walk to the house, often joking with the townsfolk, who seemed to warm up to him on the way there. Once they reached Oolong's house- though if someone asked Hercule it looked more like a mansion- they found the girls in perfect health. In fact, they had been living the good life at the pig's expense, costing him a fortune and without doing any work. It said something about Oolong that he was a whipped husband even if he kidnapped his wives.

Seeing that this was as good a time as any, Hercule decided to confront his future friends. Walking towards them, he tugged on Bulma's jacket to attract her attention and gestured for a corner of the room.

"Can I talk to you for a minute? I promise to make it worth your time" He said as the girl frowned.

"That sounded better in my head. Anyways, it's important so please give me a chance?"

The girl grunted in response but followed him none the less. Once they found a private corner, or as private as being in a room full of people went, Hercule turned to face her. He opened his mouth, hoping that the words would come out naturally but it was to no avail. How the hell was he supposed to explain it when himself didn't believe until just a short while ago. He had already spent three days in the past and it was still hard for him to accept it. For the first time in many years, Hercule didn't know what t say.

"So?" Bulma asked, growing impatient while the boy thought of something to say. "What did you want to talk about? The fact that you seem to think you know us perhaps?"

Well, that was as good a start as any. "Yes. You see, I do in fact know you. Well not really, not yet at least. But we will eventually meet because…" he made a dramatic pause. "I come from the future"

"Come again?"

"I come from the future" Hercule said again, this time more vehemently. "I come from forty years in the future. The reason I was so confused when I meet you was because you look a lot like your daughter and Goku looks a lot like his son, so I mistook you for them."

"Aha." She said, not really convinced "Okay, I'll play along. If you come from the future, how come you are in the past?"

"I have not the foggiest idea" he replied instantly. Bulma's mouth twitched, amused by the tale.

"Oh really? Too bad" She said in a sweet voice. Her expression changed instantly as a sudden realization came to her. "Wait, you said you mistook me for my daughter."

"Oh? Yes, I thought you were Bra when I first saw you. I knew you two looked alike but now that I see you so young the resemblance is uncanny"

"Yeah, about that. If I have daughter that means she has a father right?" The teenager said, growing excited.

"That makes sense, yeah."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Is he a hottie?" She snapped "My husband, that is."

"I wouldn't know." Hercule started to say, disconcerted by the question. Of all things to ask…

"Certainly not my type, I like girls after all."

"But how is he? You should at least have some idea if he is good looking or not."

"Well, certainly not as good as me!" He said, trying to make light of the situation but her withering glare told him to stop "Okay, okay, I get it. He has black spiky hair. Big eyebrows, black eyes. I really don't know what you want me to say but he is not someone who strikes me as beautiful."

Bulma sighed and rubbed her eyes "Is he tall?"

"No." He answered, wondering to himself from where did this questioning come from. Since she was asking him this things it meant she believed him, didn't it? "He is kind of a midget actually"

"If he isn't a hottie he must be nice then he must be fun and kind and a gentleman."

"Uh?" Vegeta a gentleman? Ha! "No. The man has no social skills whatsoever. He is not at all pleasant to be around."

"That is impossible, he must at least know how to behave or he wouldn't get a job or make friends to hang out with."

"He doesn't work as far as I know and he is not very friendly. I don't think he has any friends now that I think about it."

"He doesn't? He must do something for a living. Or he is from a wealthy family then, an eccentric millionaire."

"I am pretty sure you are the one that maintains him."

"If he doesn't work, does not have any friends and is socially inept. What the hell does he do all day?"

"Well" Hercule scratched his chin, pondering about it "I don't think he leaves the house often, so I guess he either trains or watch the tv."

"He trains." Bulma raised an eyebrow, her expression neutral; "So he is an athlete or a body builder...?"

"Erm, no. He just likes to fight." Hercule answered, wishing she would leave it at that. Of course she didn't but it took her a few seconds to process it.

"What the hell? He sounds like a loser!" She snapped at him, attracting the attention of everyone in the room "Why the hell would I even marry someone like that!"

"I don't know!" The boy whimpered as he cowered in fear. He might have been the champion and stronger normal human alive but the expression on the girl's face was downright terrifying. "You are the one who married him!"

"Nu-uh! I am not marrying a loser. You are clearly making this up!"

"I am not!" Hercule was getting desperate now, already seeing where this was going. "Look, I swear I am telling the truth. Ask me anything you like but you have to believe me that I do know the future." He snapped his mouth shut when he saw her raise her hand. She had pursed her lips and her eyes were glaring at him, warning him not to try to pull any bullshit.

"There is one thing that may make me marry someone like that." She waited until he nodded once before proceeding. With the way her eye was twitching Satan was not inclined to make wait for long "How is he as a person? Is he romantic or eager to please me?"

"I wouldn't know how he is when you are alone." Oh crap, oh crap, crap. Watch your words. "But he is very… passionate about what he wants." That was one way to put it.

Bulma raised an eyebrow at the answer. "Meaning we're always fighting, right?"

His silence was the only answer she needed. The way he paled and his eye bulged did not help either. She turned around to leave and Hercule made a grab for her hand. Before he knew it he was in the floor, his cheek stinging from the slap he just received.

"Listen to me you little shit." She said through gritted teeth "You are lying; there is no way I would ever marry someone like that. And if you ever try to make a fool out of me again, then you will wish you were never born."

"But I wasn't making fun of you, you really marry…" His complain was cut short when he found a gun pointing to his face and a very angry Bulma at the other end of it. He wisely chose to shut up, less he prompted her to fire it.

For her part, Bulma was tempted to pull the trigger and test if he was as bullet proof as Son but she knew she wouldn't get away with murder here. Reluctantly she pocketed her weapon and walked towards the exit. "Son, we're leaving." She shouted to her partner and, after a moment of thought, she added "And bring Oolong with you."

"Okay!"

"Wait! What do you mean 'bring Oolong with you', don't I get a said in this?" The pig asked out raged.

"No!" the two teens answered simultaneously and soon they stomped out of the room with pig in tow and leaving a stunned Hercule behind. He could not quite believe it, but he had been dismissed. It wasn't his fault that she chose to marry Vegeta and now she didn't want to listen to his warnings. If the world was destroyed because of this he was so going to haunt her about this in the other world. In the meantime though, he had to plan on a way to approach her and shout his warnings without being shot. Or at least to hide on the way so she doesn't hit him. Rising from the floor seemed like a good start.

A hand grabbing his shoulder made him look up. Boobba gave him an apologetic look "Women, uh? Go figure." He said as he helped Hercule stand "I missed what you were talking about but I can pretty much guess. Sorry you were turned down."

Hercule just stared at him in confusion before realization dawned on him "No!" He hastily explained, "It's not like that. Why the hell would you think that? She pointed a gun at me, for god's sake! How wrong does something like that has to go for that to happen, what is wrong with you?"

"I don't know." Boobba at least had the decency to flush a little from the statement. "Maybe it is normal to draw a gun like that from where she is from. People from the city are just weird like that." the rest of the townsfolk present in the room muttered in agreement.

"Yes, I know what you mean," Sherman chipped in. "They were willing to fight a monster just for a weird piece of jewelry. All eager to get their hands on it too"

"Jewelry?" Hercule asked in confusion.

"No, not jewelry." An old lady shouted from the back. "It was a glass sphere, the size of a tennis ball and had six stars drawn on it."

Hercule felt himself freeze on the spot, a deep chill going through his back. "Was by any chance the glass on the sphere orange?"

"Why yes, it was!" The old lady answered him. "They were quite excited to see it and even more so when they got their hands on it. How would you know?"

By this point Satan was already running to the door, curse coming out of his mouth and increasing in volume and severity when, once outside, he could see no trace of his friends.

"Shit, shit, shit" The now young martial artist repeated like a mantra as he started to panic. For as long as he had known them, it was clear that they would use the dragon balls only in emergencies. That they were now looking for them was worrisome by itself but it had also just occurred to him that he could use the dragon balls himself. He was not yet certain what would he ask the dragon but surely there would be a wish that would get him out of his predicament and surely Bulma and Goku would let him use the second wish once he explained the situation. Now, however, he had lost track of them and not only there was an unknown danger lurking around but he had blown his best chance to make everything right again.

"Hey, Hercule." Boobba said as he and his brother walked out of the house but was taken aback by the crazed look the boy suddenly gave him. "Erm, are you alright?"

"No, I am not alright! I have to reach Goku and Bulma before it's too late!" He yelled at them, attracting several witnesses form inside the house. Not that any of them wanted to go near a berserk martial artist but they figured it was safe to look from the doorway.

"You are probably overreacting." Sherman stated in a placating manner. "Breath slowly and calm down. It's not like it's the end of the world."

That was not the right thing to tell him at the moment.

"IT _IS_ THE END OF THE WORLD!" Hercule berated the peasant. "I have to find them now or we are going to die! We are all going to die! In forty odd years but we are dying anyways!"

"Crazy boy."

"I knew he was trouble."

"It must be sunstroke, I tell you."

Murmurs like those could now be heard from the people in the doorways as they argued yet again about his sanity. The stronger men in town were already stepping forwards in case they needed to restrain him when Boobba came to his rescue.

"Wait!" The farmer raised his voice. "You should be ashamed of yourself. This boy came to our village to help us, asking nothing in return and putting his life at risk. True, Oolong was not strong and terrible as we thought but he didn't know that. He knew there was evil on our land, evil that took our children, our future, from us and he knew something had to be done. It is not our place, those who hide behind a child, to question his honor. I, for one, believe him. I believed him when he said he could help us so I will be damned if I don't when he says he is to save us again!"

"Boobba." The name left the champion's lips as if it were a prayer, his eyes filling with tears as he was overcome by emotion.

"Satan!" The farmer answered the cry as he embraced the fighter. The fact that he was tricked into helping slipped both of their minds, buried under layers of convenience. Not that it was hard to forget a grudge when one was stuck in the middle of nowhere with no means of transportation. "Don't worry Hercule. We will go for my truck and catch up to them in no time."

Hercule immediately parted from the embrace.

"Ermm… thanks, Boobba. But, erm, considering it again, I think it would be easier to track them if I walk" said Hercule trying to get out of the situation. He wouldn't ride that car again even if he was paid. Unfortunately Boobba didn't receive the message.

"Nonsense! Following a bike in this road is easy as pie, and there is no way you can catch up with them on foot." Hercule had to agree that was true, but he didn't believe either they would catch up riding Boobba's car.

"He is right, boy. You will need a mean of transportation if you want to see your friends again." Sherman said, stepping in. He turned to his brother. "However, I will be the one giving him a lift. He saved my daughter, so it is my job to repay him for that. Besides, your car is too slow. If you want to close the distance between you and them, you will need something faster. You will need something like…"

"The red lighting."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"The nerve of that boy!" Bulma fumed as she capsulized her bike. It had been a while since they had left Oolong's house but the anger she felt towards the kid with the afro had not yet subsided.

She had known from the very beginning he was lying, there was no way he could have come from the future but she still had played along, amused by the tale. A boy coming from the future, with no idea how he got there? As if! Those things only happened in books. Maybe if he had had any proof of it but he was an idiot if he thought he could fool her.

But he had though. She had asked him about the future, eager to see him trip on his own web of lies, feigning to believe. And he had seen right through her. He had made a fool out of her, pushing her buttons to rile her up, even if she knew he was making it up. She had lost her cool in the end and shown him his place, but that didn't change the fact that he had been able to rile her up in the first place.

In a way she had been bested, in a battle of wits, by a brat. The fact that he had been making fun of her from the moment they first meet and she still had not seen it coming was just the icing of the cake.

It was so damn infuriating! And besides what was that about her husband? A useless freeloader who likes to fight? He was a midget with no social skills whatsoever? By the way the conversation was going, he would have probably told her the guy never went to school or had a job in his life. Where the hell would she meet a guy like that anyways?

"Hey Bulma, are you feeling sick? You are all red!" Her partner's voice brought her back to reality. She glared at her partner, then suddenly froze. Short, black hair, only knows how to fight…

"I don't even like you!" The girl yelled making Goku fall on his back.

"Hey! What was that for?" While the poor kid was trying to understand what was going on, the teenage girl was trembling with fury.

"That bastard! Playing such a joke on me… I can't stand it! I swear if I ever see him again…" Bulma started to describe in full detail what she would do in a fashion that would have pushed her partners in a path of chastity away from a women were she not properly censored by the sound of metal being dragged at full speed and what sounded like several explosions. When she realized she couldn't even hear her own thoughts she looked up to the hill they had just passed, which was the direction the sound was coming from.

An old brown car covered in rust and smoke appeared at the top of the hill and flew a full meter in the air before landing in the road again. Sparks and a metal bumper went flying out of the car as it turned to avoid the now shrieking girl, the now burning car finally coming to a stop with help from a nearby tree. Out of the car came tumbling a bald man with black mustache and glasses and a boy with a black afro, both of them dressed in overalls.

Hercule knelt on the spot, needing a moment to stop his racing heart and the shaking that had taken a hold of him. Sherman was quicker to recover, already pulling a fire extinguisher from under the seat and using it to cool the burning engine. By his calm demeanor it was clear to the onlookers this was not the first time something like this happened.

"What the hell was that?" Oolong screeched at Satan, "You almost killed me for the second time today!"

Hearing his friend's voice, Hercule looked up at the group. He was still pale from the worst ride of his life and his legs still felt like jelly under him yet a smile formed from ear to ear.

"Good, you're still here! For a moment I thought you were going to leave without me." He said with an amicable tone.

Bulma answered with a burst of bullets.

The moment Hercule saw her pull out her machine gun he knew that unless he did something things were going to end badly for him. He looked around searching for cover, but both the car and the river, the two only places he could have hidden himself, were too far away and he instantly knew he wouldn't be able to make a run for them. Trusting his battle hardened instincts, he quickly decided the best course of action and crouched on the floor in fetal position and waited for the bullets to stop. He spent several seconds of terror like that, hearing the bullets soar over him until they finally came to end. He opened his eyes to see if the girl had finally calmed down and his heart sunk when he saw she was just reloading.

"Wait! Please hear me out! Or at least don't kill me!" The hero shrieked like a little girl while cowering in fear. The only real girl at the scene ignored him as she reloaded, yet when she pulled the trigger the weapon didn't shot. She frowned as she pulled the trigger a few more times to make sure the gun was really broken before throwing it away.

"Fine, I will hear you out, but if you make me mad I'm pulling another gun."

"I heard you are looking for the dragon balls." He said with confidence he didn't have. He knew he had angered her with his explanation of her love life but he could not apologize for that without losing credibility on his time travel story. Therefore, since any explanation about time travel would remind her of the incident, he had decided not to mention the time travel until she had calmed down a little. He would have to convince her that he would be useful to the team and then, once he wouldn't be killed by speaking out of turn, he would explain the situation. "I want in."

"What do you know about the dragon balls?" She asked, not with little suspicion "And why would we want your help? What do you get out of this?"

"I know that you would only look for the dragon balls for a very serious reason. I want to help because it is the right thing to do. And I want to see the dragon. And travel for free." He quickly added the last two sentences when he saw she wasn't convinced. She seemed to appease then, accepting his reasons for joining the trip.

"What do you mean you want to see the dragon? What are you talking about?" Oolong asked in confusion. He only received a glare in response, which left him muttering curses afterward.

"Well, you said you wanted to help in the search but why should we let you? You are a very unpleasant brat after all." She asked intrigued. Her anger had subsided a little after shooting him for a while but she still was a little peeved.

"I can be your bodyguard. A beautiful girl like you is going to need one to keep the creeps away. And who is better for it than me, Hercule Satan, the greatest hero in the world! After all, a normal human is like a fly to me! Hahaha." He puffed his chest and laughed, thinking his explanation settled it. It had an unexpected effect though.

"Waah! Really?" Goku exclaimed; his interest perked at this. "Are you really that strong? Do you want to fight?"

"What?" Hercule let out a terrified croak. "Me, fight you?" he laughed nervously at the thought. "Goku, I can't do that! I am a hero of justice, it is not right for me to fight a comrade"

"Mmh, right. Unfortunately for you, I have Son for that" She smirked at him, urging him to try again.

"Yeah, but the more the merrier, right? A beauty like you must keep men away with a stick and you might need another set of eyes. Who knows who you might run across in this area. I mean, look at Oolong!" Hercule started to get desperate but still trusting in flattery to do the job.

"I do have problem with keeping them away but I think Goku here will be enough, as I can always think for him. And even if two heads think better than one, it doesn't do much good if they are equally dumb." She answered him playfully. Hercule saw this as a good sign.

"Yes! She is not so angry anymore! I knew the honey talk would do the trick, she is as swallow as a kid's pool." He thought in triumph. "By her tone I guess she is not as reluctant as before to let me travel with them. One more push and we are done."

"Then I'll drive when you are tired to make good time while we travel. A personal driver is the least a princess like you should have. The great Bulma should not need to bother with chores like that." He said while caressing his hands and bowing his head to add effect to his pleas. Bulma seemed to like it, whereas behind her, Goku tilted his head in confusion and Oolong snickered.

"Hear, hear!" The girl said happily. "That is the way to treat a lady. Unfortunately, I like to drive and we already have Oolong for an extra pair of hands."

"Oi, I haven't agreed to anything yet!" The pig shouted angrily. Bulma just gave him a withering glare.

"Shut up, I didn't ask your opinion. Hey Son, why don't you take the pig and look for a good place for the house? The adults are speaking" She said while tossing a capsule at him. Goku just shrugged and walked away, dragging the enraged pig behind him. She then turned to Hercule. "So, what else do you have?"

"I'm told I give very good massages…" Not really knowing what to say anymore.

"Don't even think about it."

"But I'm really good at feet and shoulder massages. I thought about making a career of it if martial arts didn't work." At least Buu seemed to like them.

"Feet and shoulders? Oh. Oh! Yes, that is what I need. I thought you would make a joke about happy endings."

"I live to serve so if that is your cup of tea…" He said while wiggling eyebrows.

"Ugh, no. Just no." She answered while wrinkling her nose in disgust. Her expression soon turned pensive though and after a few seconds of consideration she asked hi again "Anything else?"

At this, Hercule's mind became blank. At this point she could accept him or not but he had the impression that with one more reason the decision would turn in favor of keeping him. For the life of him though, he could not think of another reason to accept him. Seconds stretched in silence and Bulma was about ready to say something, it was now or never. It was then that the proverbial light bulb came alight and he revealed his hidden ace.

"I can cook!" He shouted as a cry of victory while pointing at her, daring her to come up with something against that.

"Sure, you can come with us then."

Both Hercule and Bulma turned to see who had said the last sentence. Standing a short distance away was Goku, giving them that care free smile of his. It suddenly occurred to Hercule that it would've been far easier going to him from the beginning.

"What do you mean "you can come with us"?" Bulma asked her partner, "I'm the one who decides if he stays or not"

"But you already decided that Oolong would come so it's my turn to decide. It is only fair. Now let's go in, I am getting hungry." The monkey kid answered and took his fellow martial artist inside before the girl could say anything else. The girl sighed and followed in, it was no worth arguing about it anyways.

"Hey, since you're here I want a foot massage!"


End file.
